New Delhi, May 12: Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez has withdrawn her plea to become a government witness in the ₹200 crore money laundering case linked to Sukesh Chandrashekhar. This development comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed her application in the Patiala House Court just a day earlier.
The ED argued that Jacqueline’s conduct during the investigation was “unsatisfactory” and that she failed to provide “complete and truthful information” in her statements recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The central agency informed the court that Jacqueline did not fully cooperate during the investigation and consistently failed to provide complete and truthful information regarding the money earned by Chandrashekhar through criminal activities.
In opposing her plea to become a government witness, the ED alleged that Jacqueline maintained contact with Chandrashekhar even after being aware of his criminal history.
According to the investigation agency, Chandrashekhar had arranged “various benefits, gifts, and valuable items” for Jacqueline using the money earned from money laundering activities. The ED has accused Jacqueline of receiving expensive gifts worth around ₹7 crore from Chandrashekhar. However, the actress has consistently claimed that she had no knowledge of Chandrashekhar’s criminal activities or the source of the money used to purchase those gifts.
Last September, the Supreme Court had rejected Jacqueline’s plea to quash the money laundering proceedings initiated against her by the ED. Senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, representing Jacqueline, argued that she could not be prosecuted under Sections 3 and 4 of the PMLA, as she had no knowledge that the gifts received from Chandrashekhar were purchased with money from criminal activities.
However, a bench led by Justice Dutta referred to the Supreme Court’s ruling in the ‘Vijay Madanlal Choudhary case,’ which upheld the powers of the ED under the PMLA. The bench remarked that the allegations made at the stage of framing charges should be accepted in the form they are presented.
The ED has filed several charge sheets in this case and has named Jacqueline as an accused in a supplementary prosecution complaint, while another Bollywood actress, Nora Fatehi, has been questioned as a witness.
The investigation agency has alleged that Chandrashekhar’s associate, Pinky Irani, assisted in delivering luxury gifts and expensive items to Jacqueline. This money laundering case is connected to allegations that Chandrashekhar defrauded the wives of former Ranbaxy promoters Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh of approximately ₹200 crore. However, Jacqueline maintains that she had no role in the alleged laundering of Chandrashekhar’s illicit assets.