ED files charge sheet against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in Delhi Waqf Board case
Amanatullah Khan was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on September 2 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed a charge sheet against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Okhla constituency Amanatullah Khan in connection with its money laundering probe related to irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board (DWB), people familiar with the development said.
Khan was arrested on September 2 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The people cited above said ED has also named Miriam Siddiqui in the supplementary charge sheet. The court has listed the matter for November 4.
The federal agency filed its first charge sheet in the case against Khan’s alleged associates – Zeeshan Haider, Daud Nasir, Jawed Imam Siddiqui and Kausar Imam Siddiqui --- in January this year.
It alleged that the legislator acquired huge proceeds of crime in cash through illegal recruitment of staff in the DWB and used the money to buy immovable assets in the names of his associates. The agency has also alleged that Khan benefited from leasing out Waqf Board properties when he was the board’s chairman between 2018 and 2022.
According to ED officials who didn’t want to be named, Khan allegedly paid more than ₹8 crore in cash to buy a 1,200 square yards property in Jamia Nagar with the help of his associates.
ED’s January charge sheet, a copy of which has been seen by HT, accused Amanatullah Khan of receiving proceeds of crime in connection with illegal recruitment of persons in DWB, leasing out properties of DWB in an unfair and illegal manner, misappropriation of DWB funds while he was DWB chairman and Okhla MLA from 2015.
The agency also alleged that Khan “invested his ill-gotten money... in immovable properties through his associates named – Zeeshan Haider, Daud Nasir and others”.
“He purchased immovable properties in the name of his benamidar (proxies) – Zeeshan Haider and Daud Nasir - by concealing and suppressing their actual value which is very nominal in comparison to their actual sale value and actively concealed amounts that were paid in cash to seller which are nothing but proceeds of crime acquired by Amanatullah Khan out of his corrupt and illegal activities,” the charge sheet filed in January said.