THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday opposed actor Jacqueline Fernandez’s plea seeking to turn approver in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, saying she remained in contact with the accused despite knowing his criminal antecedents. Earlier, Special Judge Prashant Sharma had sought a response from ED on the actor’s plea. In its response, the agency said, “The applicant (Jacqueline ) remained in regular and sustained contact with Sukesh Chandrashekhar (accused 1) even after having knowledge of his criminal antecedents, who carefully arranged all benefits, gifts and articles for the applicant out of the ‘proceeds of crime’ involved in the offence of money laundering.”

 

It said that the consistent interaction through numerous ways of communication and receipt of benefits negates any claim of being an ‘unwitting victim’ as claimed by Jacqueline, and instead highlights her conscious association with the main perpetrator. According to the agency, the actor used and enjoyed the ‘proceeds of crime’ for herself and her family members, demonstrating a conscious disregard for the source of funds while actively participating in the laundering process. “Her claim of being a victim is therefore self-serving and contrary to the evidence on record,” it added. “That the applicant’s conduct during the investigation has been far from cooperative, as she consistently failed to make full and truthful disclosures in her statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA on August 30, 2021, October 20, 2021, December 8, 2021, May 20, 2022 and June 27, 2022,” the response said.