Delhi court denies bail to Aslam Wani in PMLA case

A Delhi court today denied bail to alleged hawala dealer Mohammad Aslam Wani, arrested in connection with a decade-old money laundering case involving Kashmiri separatist Shabir Shah.
Wani had on November 14 moved the court seeking bail saying a 2010 trial court judgement clearing him of terror funding charges in a 2005 case, based on which the money laundering case was lodged in 2007, was confirmed by the Delhi High Court on October 31.
However, Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharman refused to grant relief to Wani who claimed that he was wrongly implicated in the case.
The Enforcement Directorate had in September filed a charge sheet against Wani and Shah, whose bail application in the case was also dismissed on August 22.

Wani was arrested by the ED from Srinagar on August 6 with the help of the state police and is currently in judicial custody. Shabir Shah was arrested by the agency from Srinagar on July 26.
The ED action against the two was in pursuance of an August 2005 case in which the Delhi Police's Special Cell had arrested Wani, who is alleged to have claimed he had passed on Rs 2.25 crore to Shah.
In 2010, a Delhi court had cleared Wani of terror funding charges but convicted him under the Arms Act. The ED had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Shah and Wani.

On August 26, 2005, Wani was apprehended with the ED claiming Rs 63 lakh was recovered from him. It was also alleged that the funds were received through hawala channels from the Middle East, along with a large cache of ammunition.