New Delhi: The heat may finally be turned on Hasan Ali Khan, the “billionaire” money launderer. Arrested for allegedly stashing laundered money abroad and being probed for passport forgery and links with arms dealers, Khan now faces the prospect of being charged under the anti-terror law for endangering national security.
The Centre on Tuesday readily agreed with Supreme Court’s view that the issue of whether Khan can be charged with terror needs to be examined. The convergence of views on the money launderer was prompted by Enforcement Directorate’s fresh status report throwing up new details on Khan’s alleged illegal activities spanning continents. A Bench of Justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar said emerging evidence marked a threat to national security. “Most important thing that emerges on the basis of information (in the status report) is that the agency must probe the angle, which is the link with arms dealers and terrorist funds. This is intrinsic to national security,” it said.
The court gave ED, which claimed to be hot on the heels of Khan’s surreptitious and illegal deals, 10 days to file a fresh status report.
More foreign accounts detected:
The I-T department has come across several foreign bank accounts and transactions, apart from the alleged $8 billion transfer from a Swiss bank, linked to Hasan Ali and will submit a status report on the probe to the SC in 10 days.
I-T digs out more than just $8bn tax fraud against Hasan
New Delhi: The income-tax department has come across several foreign bank accounts and transactions, apart from the alleged $8 billion transfer from a Swiss bank, linked to Hasan Ali Khan and will submit a status report on the probe to the SC in 10 days.
On Tuesday, the apex court perused a probe status report against Khan, who has been arrested on charges of money laundering, and suggested that the agencies look into the possibility of his illegal activities that were endangering national security.
The court’s focus on issues relating to Khan came to light when it expressed serious concern about the slow progress in investigations into the alleged passport forgery case against him.
A Bench comprising Justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar asked Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam whether it would be appropriate to entrust the probe to the CBI. “Nothing is moving,” it said.
Stung by the court’s remark during Thursday’s hearing — “what the hell is going on this country” — Subramaniam was eager to show the strides made by both I-T department and the Enforcement Directorate in their probes against Khan in the last three days.
“I must share with the court that I-T authorities have come across some very important documents since the last hearing on Thursday. The I-T department will file a separate status report in 10 days time,” he said.
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