E-Paper
5 lakh not 55: Probe agency admits typo in Nawab Malik remand plea
Malik had been arrested on February 23 following extensive interrogation. The minister was produced before special judge for PMLA R N Rokade after his first ED remand ended
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) was left red-faced before a special court when the agency conceded it committed a “typographical” error in an earlier remand note in which it had mentioned that the amount allegedly paid by Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s sister as ₹55 lakh instead of ₹5 lakh.
After the ED accepted the mistake, the court extended Malik’s remand till March 7.
During the hearing, the agency conceded that there was a mistake in its earlier remand plea which had alleged that Malik paid ₹55 lakh to late Haseena Parkar, Ibrahim’s sister, and it should be read as ₹5 lakh.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh also clarified that the figure of ₹55 lakh mentioned in the first remand application was a “typographical error,” and should be read as ₹5 lakh.
Malik had been arrested on February 23 following extensive interrogation. The minister was produced before special judge for Prevention of Money Laundering Act R N Rokade after his first ED remand ended.
Seeking his further custody, the ED told the court that Malik had allegedly occupied a property in suburban Kurla.
Senior lawyer Amit Desai, appearing for Malik, took strong exception, saying his client had spent six days in jail following the contention that ₹55 lakh had been paid.
“When you (the ED) are dealing with the liberty of people, don’t rush to arrest them. Apply your mind…do your homework,” Desai said.
But ASG Anil Singh said whether it was ₹55,000 or even ₹1, a probe must be conducted.
Pressing for a six-day extension of Malik’s remand, the ED said the court had initially granted it the minister’s custody till March 3, but he was admitted to a hospital for treatment between February 25 and 28 and could not be questioned during this period.
The ED has gathered evidence that Malik played and continues to play a crucial role in laundering certain other proceeds of crime or usurped properties, the latest remand plea claimed.
Among other things, the NCP leader had illegally occupied or usurped a property in Kurla, the ED said.
This property too was apparently obtained by threatening the original owners, and there were no valid sale documents, the agency added.
When the owner protested, he was abducted and threatened with dire consequences, the ED alleged, adding that he had approached the accused regarding encroachment on the property.
“The accused told the victims to forget about all the property which belongs to them,” and told them “baap dada ki property me kyu dimag kharab kar rahe ho,” (why are you losing peace of mind over ancestral property), the central agency alleged.
The role of Malik and the underworld had surfaced in this property deal and he and his family prima facie appeared to be the beneficiary, it added.
During questioning, Malik revealed some facts about Sardar Shahawali Khan (a 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts convict) and late Salim Patel (a close confidante of Haseena Parkar), and it wanted to get more information about the transactions involving them, the ED said.
Considering that Malik was in hospital for some days and the new facts that have emerged, the accused is being sent in further custody, the court said.
The ED’s case is based on an FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Dawood Ibrahim and others under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
