Actress Jacqueline Fernandez was identified as a defendant in the Enforcement Directorate's charge sheet on Wednesday in a multimillion dollar money laundering case involving alleged con man Sukesh Chandrashekhar and others. Jacqueline's attorney Prashant Patil has since clarified in a statement that she has not yet gotten an official copy of the complaint.
“We have received information about the complaint being filed by the Enforcement Directorate only through media reports. There is no official communication from the Enforcement Directorate or the Hon’ble Court. My client has not received any copy of the complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate. However, if the media reports are true, then it’s unfortunate that my client has been arraigned as an accused in the said case," Patil was quoted as saying by ETimes.
Jacqueline's lawyer argued on her behalf that the actress has cooperated fully with the ED's inquiry into the matter and is merely "a victim" of a broader scheme. “Taking the entire prosecution case to be true for the sake of arguments, even then, no case is made out against Jacqueline under the scheme of Prevention of Money Laundering Act or any other Law in force. This is a case of mala fide prosecution and my client shall take steps as required under law to protect her dignity and liberty," he added.
Patil added that the actress would approach the Patiala court today to request a copy of the ED charge sheet. “We will apply for a certified copy of the complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate. It’s the right of the accused, so we are hopeful to get it," he told ETimes.
She was last grilled by the ED in June. In April this year, the ED attached assets worth Rs 7.27 crore belonging to Jacqueline in the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
