Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez has approached the Delhi High Court to request the dismissal of an ECIR (FIR) and supplementary chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving Sukesh Chandrashekhar, an alleged conman.
In her plea, Fernandez asserts that evidence provided by the Enforcement Directorate will demonstrate her innocence in the face of what she claims is a malicious attack by Chandrashekhar. She argues that there is no indication of her involvement in aiding him in laundering allegedly ill-gotten wealth, and therefore, she should not be prosecuted under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
Fernandez contends that the Enforcement Directorate has shown bias in implicating her as an accused, pointing out that actress Nora Fatehi received a clean chit despite evidence that her family member received a BMW car from Chandrashekhar at her instruction. The actress alleges a malafide investigation against her, citing the disparate treatment of individuals involved in similar circumstances.
The plea also criticizes the Enforcement Directorate for relying on a single news article shared with Fernandez as the basis for the case. According to her, the article, published in 2020, predates the registration of the FIR and contains no information related to the scheduled offense.
Jacqueline Fernandez, a Sri Lankan national residing in India since 2009, emphasizes her standing in the Bollywood industry and her willingness to cooperate with the investigation. The actress highlights her participation in events, press conferences, rehearsals, and other industry activities.
The ongoing investigation involves a Rs 200 crore money laundering case with Sukesh Chandrashekhar as the central figure. Fernandez has already appeared before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with the case.
The case originated from an FIR filed by Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing against Chandrashekhar for cheating and extorting Aditi Singh, the wife of former Religare Enterprises promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh. Chandrashekhar and his associates allegedly posed as government officials, promising to secure bail for Singh and persuading his wife to transfer money. Both Chandrashekhar and his wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested in September of the previous year for their alleged involvement in the duping case.
