A Delhi court has declared UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari a fugitive economic offender on an Enforcement Directorate plea.
Offenders will be tried under Prevention of Money Laundering Act
Modi is the second businessman after liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya to be declared a fugitive economic offender under provisions of the Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEO) Act which came into existence in August last year.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea by beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya challenging the proceedings in a Mumbai court to declare him a fugitive economic offender and confiscate his properties. The apex court dismissed the petition for non-prosecution after the counsel representing Mallya submitted that he was not getting any instructions from the petitioner in the matter. "The counsel for petitioner states that the petitioner is not giving any instructions to the advocate for the petitioner.
A special court in Mumbai on Friday declared three family members of late gangster Iqbal Mirchi as 'fugitive economic offenders' under the provisions of a criminal law by the same name, official sources said.
Even existing cases might come under the proposed law, including those of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choski. But, the law would not cover earlier cases.
Legal experts are not sure if threat of confiscation of property will be deterrent enough for fleeing offenders
Confiscation of the tycoon's properties will start from February 5.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his government is using all channels including diplomatic to bring back high-profile economic offenders, leaving them with no option but to return to the country. Speaking at a symposium on credit flow and economic growth, he asked banks to support wealth and job creators with proactive lending while promising to stand by any loans given in right earnest. "In our attempt to bring back fugitive (economic offenders), we relied on policies and law and also used diplomatic channels.
A special court in Mumbai has issued notices to Nirav Modi's brothers, Neeshal and Nehal Modi, asking them to explain why they should not be declared fugitive economic offenders in the Punjab National Bank scam.
Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya informed the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that he is unable to provide a definite timeline for his return to India, citing the revocation of his passport and also being legally barred from leaving the UK.
A special court in Mumbai has issued notices to Nirav Modi's brothers, Neeshal and Nehal, asking them to explain why they should not be declared fugitive economic offenders in connection with the Punjab National Bank scam.
The HC posed the question to the 70-year-old liquor baron, wanted in India to face trial on fraud and money laundering charges, on his return home while hearing his twin pleas.
Rashid Naseem, wanted in India for an alleged investment fraud, has been arrested in Dubai following an Interpol Red Notice and extradition request.
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said the instances of people running away and evading the legal process was increasing and this needed to be stopped, as the current laws do not allow fully dealing with the severity of the problem.
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said it has restituted funds worth more than Rs 300 crore towards long-pending dues of the former workers of now defunct Kingfisher Airlines that was promoted by fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya.
A court in Antwerp on Friday cleared the extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, noting that his arrest by the Belgian authorities on India's request was valid, officials in the know of the development said.
Arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari has opposed the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) plea in a Delhi court seeking to declare him a "fugitive " in connection with a black money case. Bhandari claims his stay in the UK is legal as the London High Court denied his extradition to India. The court's decision was also cited by an English court in April to deny the Indian government's request to extradite another accused in a rice-buying scam. Bhandari's lawyer argued that the ED's application was "vague, misplaced and without jurisdiction " and that the value involved in the case was less than the required Rs 100 crore to declare someone a "fugitive. " The Delhi court has sought the ED's rebuttal to Bhandari's argument by May 3.
If Mallya does not appear before the court, he risks being declared a fugitive economic offender, besides properties linked to him being confiscated.
Officials say that such a list, to be updated on a real-time basis, will serve as a ready reckoner in identifying those committing multiple economic offences
In its report, 'Asset Recovery Guidance and Best Practices', the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, shared multiple examples from cases investigated by the ED, citing them as models of effective asset recovery practice and inter-agency coordination.
The CBI successfully managed to get Monika Kapoor extradited from the United States, ending her 25-year flight from justice. She is accused of economic offenses including forgery and fraud.
Despite Nirav Modi win, in the last five years, India managed to bring only about 20 fugitive offenders.
Diamantaire Mehul Choksi, a key accused in the multi-crore PNB scam, has told a special court in Mumbai that he hasn't been able to return to India "due to reasons beyond his control" and hence cannot be declared a "fugitive economic offender". The accused has claimed that he didn't leave India to avoid criminal prosecution nor is he refusing to return to the country. He said his passport has been suspended by Indian authorities.
A team from Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recently visited Tihar Jail to assess prison conditions for the extradition of high-profile economic offenders such as Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya.
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday said it has attached fresh assets worth Rs 29.75 crore of fugitive diamond trader Nirav Modi under the anti-money laundering law. A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach these assets that are in the form of bank deposits, land, and buildings, it said in a statement.
The bail plea of fugitive diamonds trader Mehul Choksi, wanted in India in connection with over Rs 6300-crore fraud in the Punjab National Bank (PNB), has again been turned down by a court of appeal in Belgium, just ahead of his extradition hearing before a court in that country, officials said. The court rejected the appeal on strong reasons conveyed by the CBI to the Belgian prosecution that Choksi had escaped from many jurisdictions earlier as well to evade legal proceedings and may flee to another country if let out on bail, they said.
Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with the Sanjay Bhandari money laundering case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a money laundering case related to a land deal in Haryana's Shikohpur. The ED has also attached properties worth Rs. 37.64 crore linked to Vadra.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said that while certain documents and furniture have been burnt in a fire at its Mumbai office, there is no impediment to probes or trials as files are also stored digitally. The fire broke out on Sunday at the mezzanine floor of the ED's Mumbai Zonal Office-I, located in the Kaiser-I-Hind building. The agency said that the fire was caused by a short circuit and that the office is now operational from a different location. The ED is also in the process of establishing a standalone office space in Mumbai.
The ED had filed an application before a special PMLA court seeking the 'fugitive' tag for Mallya under the Fugitive Economic Offenders' Act, 2018.
The CBI has significantly increased the rate of fugitive repatriation, bringing back 134 individuals in the last five years, doubling the number from the previous decade. This success is attributed to enhanced diplomatic efforts, technological advancements, and improved coordination with Interpol.
The PMLA court in Mumbai has sought their appearance on September 25 (Nirav Modi) and 26 (Mehul Choksi) respectively under the fugitive economic offender law.
Absconding diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi has been detained in Belgium following an extradition request by Indian probe agencies for his alleged involvement in the Rs 13,000 crore PNB bank loan 'fraud' case, official sources said Monday. The action against the diamantaire was taken on Saturday.
Currently, confiscation can be done through multiple laws, but it is a complicated process.
The special court, however, did not permit the ED to attach the paintings owned by Modi and seized by the Income Tax department as the Bombay high court had earlier directed for the artworks to be auctioned but the money to be deposited and not disbursed.
The Enforcement Directorate Friday said it has attached gems, jewellery and bank deposits worth Rs 253.62 crore of some Hong Kong-based companies of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi as part of a money laundering probe. Some assets of Nirav Modi group of companies in Hong Kong were identified in the form of gems and jewelleries lying in private vaults and bank balances in accounts maintained there and these have been provisionally attached under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the federal probe agency said in a statement. The amount kept in banks amounts to $30.98 million and Hong Kong dollars 5.75 million, which is equivalent to Rs 253.62 crore (as on July 22, 2022), it said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has earmarked assets worth about Rs 15,000 crore that will be restored to victims of real estate, Ponzi and other frauds across India during the current financial year. The agency has been "aggressively" initiating this provision for restitution since last year to ensure rightful claimants duped by financial crime get their dues. The ED has already restored Rs 31,951 crore worth of assets under this provision, including Rs 15,201.65 crore from 2019-21 in cases related to Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and the National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL). The ED Director has issued directions to all regions to actively work on cases marked for restitution of assets worth Rs 15,000 crore during the financial year 2025-26.
The valuables include polished diamonds, pearls and silver jewellery and are worth Rs 1,350 crore.
Choksi filed the affidavit in connection with two petitions submitted by him in the HC seeking dismissal of an application filed by the ED in a special court for declaring him a fugitive economic offender.
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