PMLA case: ED opposes Aslam Wani's bail in HC

The Enforcement Directorate has opposed in the Delhi High Court the bail plea of alleged hawala dealer Mohammad Aslam Wani, arrested in a case involving Kashmiri separatist Shabir Shah, saying the money trail has to be established.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its status report, said the investigation in the case was still going on and there was an apprehension that, if released, Wani may flee from justice.

However, when the matter came up for hearing today before Justice S P Garg, it was revealed that the report has not yet reached the court records and the court listed the case for further hearing in July.

The agency has claimed that Wani has not cooperated in the probe and the money trail was yet to be ascertained.

Wani was arrested by the ED from Srinagar on August 6, 2017 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 last year.

A trial court had earlier denied bail to Wani in the decade-old case. Wani was apprehended on August 26, 2005, with the ED claiming that Rs 63 lakh was recovered from him.

Wani, in his bail application filed through advocate M S Khan, sought bail after the Supreme Court set aside all orders by which bail to an accused was denied due to stringent bail condition in money laundering cases and directed that such cases be remanded back to the respective courts to be heard on merit.

The plea had said a 2010 trial court judgement clearing Wani of terror funding charges in 2005 case, based on which the current money laundering case was lodged in 2007, was confirmed by the Delhi High Court on October 31.

The ED had in September last year filed a charge sheet against Wani and Shah, whose bail application in the case was also dismissed on August 22, 2017.

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.