Special Judge, Judge V C Barde presiding for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Monday, 4 January, accepted the 'grant of pardon’ of Purvi Mehta and her husband, Maiank, to testify as ‘approvers’ against her brother, Nirav Modi in the Punjab National Bank scam case.
The couple – Purvi, a Belgian national, and Maiank, a British national – will be prosecution witnesses in the two cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) where they were named as co-accused. The plea stated that she was not a prime accused in the case and has so far fully co-operated with the ED with requisite information, reported PTI.
The plea for pardon was filed last month saying the couple, due to the nature of relationship with Modi could provide “substantial and important evidence information, proof, and documents and access to bank accounts, assets, companies and entities that are relevant to Nirav Modi and his actions/dealings,” reported PTI.
Nirav Modi is currently facing extradition proceedings in the UK and was declared a fugitive in 2019. He allegedly committed financial fraud by cheating PNB to the tune of ₹14,000 crore.
The court ruled that the couple can turn ‘approvers’ on condition that the disclosures and ‘full and true’. This ruling was granted only to them in their individual capacities, after the ED objected to other companies or entities being granted a similar pardon, reported The Indian Express.
The couple said they will give their statements over video-conference due to COVID-19 restrictions on international travel. The court directed the prosecution to facilitate this by saying, "The accused staying abroad presently shall be directed to present herself before the court, for which purpose the prosecution shall take necessary steps," reported The Indian Express.
(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express)
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