ED to move high court against Zakir Naik aide Amir Gazdar’s bail

Gazdar was arrested by the ED on February 16 in connection with a money-laundering case registered against Naik.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will soon appeal in the high court against the bail to Amir Gazdar, a close confidante of televangelist Zakir Naik.

The special PMLA court had granted bail to Gazdar in July.

Gazdar was arrested by the ED on February 16 in connection with a money-laundering case registered against Naik. “We will soon approach the high court against the bail granted to Gazdar,” said a senior ED officer.

The agency claims that Gazdar played a pivotal role in acquiring and disposing of the cash in the case.

Read: Money laundering case: ED to probe financial transactions between Zakir Naik, his aide

Gazdar on April 20 filed a bail plea questioning the applicability of the charges under the prevention of money laundering act.

Gazdar claimed the agency produced no evidence as to how the money alleged to have been laundered was the proceeds of the crime registered with the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Gazdar has not denied that he was member of Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), which was banned by the government by last year.

Read: Zakir Naik’s aide arrested for managing ‘transaction of illegal cash’

It was after the ban of the IRF that the NIA registered a case against Naik and others for allegedly radicalising youth towards terror activities.