London court rejects Dawood aide's bail plea

London (United Kingdom), Aug 21 (ANI): London's Westminster Magistrate's Court on Tuesday denied bail to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's key aide, Jabir Motiwala.

The United Kingdom security agencies arrested Motiwala from a hotel in London on August 19 and produced him before the Westminster Magistrate's Court earlier today.

During the hearing, Motiwala's lawyer Toby Cadman requested the court to hear his client's case behind closed doors and without the attendance of the public or members from the media.

However, the judge, Margot Coleman, who was overseeing the matter, turned down the request, saying, "British Justice is Open Justice and it would take a lot for me to vacate the public gallery".

Motiwala, who was arrested on August 16, reportedly had his name changed to 'Jabir Siddiq' on the passport. According to the Police in both the United States and the United Kingdom, this was one of the many aliases used by Motiwala. A report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also revealed that Motiwala travelled extensively on behalf of Ibrahim's 'D Company' and acted as a top lieutenant for the organisation.

Adding that the charges against Motiwala were "very serious", the judge said a bail cannot be granted to him. Motiwala was arrested on a US warrant on charges of money laundering and trafficking narcotics.