The Supreme Court on Thursday extended its interim stay on the Bombay High Court order granting bail to alleged money launderer and country's top tax evader Hasan Ali Khan. The curbs on the bail will remain effective till August 26. The Supreme Court bench of Justice Altamas Kabir, Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice S.S. Nijjar extended its interim order while adjourning the hearing on the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) petition challenging the High Court's order granting bail to the Pune farm owner.
The High Court granted bail to Hasan Ali on August 12 holding that there was nothing in the ED's case to show that the money amassed by him was linked to the proceeds of crime. The Apex Court on August 16 stayed the High Court's order of granting the bail to Hasan Ali.
Appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Harin Rawa said that the huge bank deposits of Hasan Ali may not appear to be proceeds of the crime but it should be seen if they were connected with it. Rawal told the court that all those engaged in illicit money deals makes it appear that their funds were proceeds of legal acts.
The ASG told the court that Hasan Ali had been booked for offences involving criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating.
The ED petition said that the material on the record was sufficient demonstrate that the commission of offences under money launder law had allegedly enabled Hasan Ali derive and obtain property which was outside India and which was , in all likelihood, obtained as a result of criminal activity.
The petition stated that the High Court failed to appreciate that the documents placed before it also pointed to deep linkage between Hasan Ali and Adnan Khashoggi, an international arms dealer.
Hasan Ali through affidavit, told in the Apex Court that the Ed were suppressing the facts.
Reported by AR for News Vision Online Newspaper Blog
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