Money laundering case: Jacqueline's interim bail extended till November 15
What's the story
Delhi's Patiala House Court has reportedly extended the interim bail granted to actor Jacqueline Fernandez in a Rs. 200cr money laundering case till Tuesday (November 15). She is one of the accused in the case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekar. The court's decision came on Friday, a day after it questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) why the actor wasn't arrested if there's evidence against her.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Fernandez was interrogated by the Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing twice in September in connection to the high-profile extortion case. Reportedly, Sukesh Chandrasekhar had posed as a government official and extorted over Rs. 200cr from Aditi Singh, Religare Enterprises ex-promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife. Fernandez was also named an accused in August by the ED, claiming she was aware of the conman's wrongdoings.
Allegation
Fernandez accepted gifts despite knowing about Chandrasekhar's misdeeds
Additional Sessions Judge Shailendra Malik on Friday granted the extension of Fernandez's interim bail. On Tuesday, Judge Malik will also take the final call on the bail plea filed by the actor. To recall, in August, the ED named Fernandez an accused in a supplementary charge sheet, claiming that she was aware of Chandrasekhar's misdeeds but still accepted the gifts that he offered.
Expensive gifts
She admitted to receiving expensive gifts from Chandrasekhar
Fernandez faces charges in the extortion case as she has been accused of receiving expensive gifts from Chandrasekhar, who reportedly extorted crores from several celebrities and businesspeople. She even confirmed to the ED during the investigation that Chandrasekhar gave her gifts like luxury cars, Gucci and Chanel bags, Gucci outfits, Louis Vuitton shoes, and jewelry, besides making arrangements for private jets and hotel stays.
Details
Here’s what the case is all about
Earlier, Chandrasekhar's long-term associate Pinky Irani was accused of having delivered the aforementioned gifts to Fernandez as instructed by Chandrasekhar. Chandrasekhar had also reportedly given over Rs. 13cr to a close family member of Fernandez. This money was reportedly yielded by Chandrasekhar and the co-accused Avtar Singh Kochhar (alias Dolly) through criminal activities like extortion. Allegedly, Kochhar is an established international "hawala" operator.
Update
Fernandez was last seen in 'Ram Setu'
On the acting front, Fernandez was last seen alongside Akshay Kumar in Ram Setu, which was released on October 25. She also has two more films in her kitty that are awaiting release. One is with Ranveer Singh, titled Cirkus, scheduled for a December 23 release. Next, she also has a sports action film named Crakk, which co-stars Vidyut Jammwal and Arjun Rampal.