The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed draft charges against former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik in a money laundering case connected to fugitive underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim. The charges were submitted in court, along with charges against three other accused individuals. The next hearing is scheduled for July 24.
Draft charges mark the beginning of a criminal trial. The court will assess the evidence presented by the investigating agency and determine the sections under which the accused can be charged. Once the charges are read to the accused and they plead not guilty, the trial can commence.
Nawab Malik, a 64-year-old leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has been in judicial custody since his arrest in February last year. He is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital and has sought bail from the Bombay High Court.
The ED alleges that Dawood’s late sister, Hasina Parkar, played a significant role in the gang’s activities and was involved in acquiring assets to fund illicit activities. The investigation revealed that Malik, in collaboration with Parkar and alleged Dawood gang members Salim Patel and Sardar Khan, conspired to take possession of a prime property called Goawala Compound in suburban Kurla. The ED claims that the power of attorney for the property was executed through deception and a supplementary power of attorney was forged.
The ED’s case against Malik is based on an FIR registered by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Dawood and his associates, including Malik.
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