The Enforcement Directorate attached properties belonging to state minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik, his family members and companies linked to him, such as Solidus Investments Pvt Ltd and Malik Infrastructure, on Wednesday, in connection with a money-laundering case registered against fugitive Dawood Ibrahim and his gang.
The properties attached by the ED included the Goawala Compound, a commercial unit and three flats in Kurla west, 59.81 hectares of agricultural land in Osmanabad, and two flats in Bandra west. The ED had initiated a money laundering investigation against Dawood and others, on the basis of an FIR registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on February 3.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, on Wednesday, agreed to list for hearing a plea by Malik for his immediate release in the money-laundering case by ED. He moved the top court after the Bombay high court rejected his interim application for release.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Malik, mentioned the matter before an SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, for an urgent hearing. He said the Prevention of Money Laundering Act came into existence only in 2005 and so it could not be applied to a transaction carried out “22 years ago”.
In the investigation conducted by the ED, it has come to light that in one such case, prime property of one Munira Plumber was allegedly usurped by Malik through Solidus Investments Pvt Ltd, a company owned by the Malik family and controlled by Malik, with the active connivance of the members of the D-gang, including Dawood’s sister Haseena Parkar. To usurp this property, Haseena Parkar and Malik connived together and executed several legal documents to ‘put a façade of genuinity for this criminal act’, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
In the said FIR, Dawood Ibrahim, his brother Anees, close aide Chhota Shakeel, Javed Patel alias Javed Chikna, and Tiger Memon have been named as the accused.
The FIR also stated that Dawood Ibrahim, after he left India, began controlling his criminal activities in India through his close associates, sister Haseena Parkar and others.
“These persons illegally transferred the land belonging to Munira Plumber and her mother by getting it registered on the strength of fake/forged documents in the name of M/s Solidus Investments Private Limited. The said property (Goawala Compound) has been fraudulently usurped and is Proceeds of Crime under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,” according to the ED statement.
“Rent of Rs 11.70 crore has also been received from this property in two entities controlled by Mr. Nawab Malik namely M/s. Solidus Investments Pvt. Ltd and M/s. Malik Infrastructure is also Proceeds of Crime. Accordingly, ED has provisionally attached the properties in the names of members of his family, M/s. Solidus Investments Pvt. Ltd and M/s. Malik Infrastructure,” the agency said.
