Delhi court grants bail to former DMK leader Jaffer Sadiq in NDPS case

New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): A Delhi court has granted bail to former DMK leader Jaffer Sadiq in a drug-related case registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). However, he will remain in custody in ED’s money laundering case. The court has directed the authorities to open an LOC against him.

The special judge (NDPS), Sudhir Kumar Sirohi, on Wednesday, granted bail to Jaffer Sadiq in the drug case.

The court noted that the alleged recovery of drugs was not effected from his possession.

He has been granted bail on furnishing a bail bond of Rs one lakh and two sureties in the like amount.

The court has imposed several conditions, including that he shall not leave the country without the prior permission of the court. He will have to surrender his passport and if he doesn’t have the passport he will give an affidavit to this effect.

On June 26, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Jaffer Sadiq in a drug-related money laundering case.

He was interrogated by the ED in Tihar jail, where he was lodged in an NDPS case.

Earlier last month, the Court allowed the ED to examine Sadiq in Tihar Jail.

Delhi’s Patiala House Court had once again granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to examine Jaffer Sadiq in Tihar Jail and record his statement under PMLA. The agency wanted to interrogate him in relation to a drug-related money laundering case.

On June 20, Special NDPS Judge Sudhir Kumar Sirohi granted permission to the ED to examine Jaffer Sadiq on June 25 and 26 and to record his statement under Section 50 of the PMLA.

The court had directed the jail authorities to make the necessary arrangements.

The Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for ED NK Matta submitted that the ED officers may be allowed to examine the accused.

They may be permitted to take the laptop and printer with them so that the recorded statements may be signed and data may be confronted to the accused persons as there is a recovery of 50 kg of pseudoephedrine.

It was also submitted that the accused was examined on May 8 to 10 but the investigation could not be completed.

Earlier on May 1, the court also granted permission to the ED to record the statements of Jaffer Sadiq and four others in Tihar Jail.

The Enforcement Directorate, through Special Public Prosecutor NK Matta had moved an application praying for permission to examine and record statements of accused persons namely Jaffer Sadiq, Mukesh PU, Mujeepur Rahaman R, Ashok Kumar, and SG Sadanandan (Sathanantham) u/s 50 PML Act, 2002 for 03 days i.e. from 08.05.2024 to 10.05.2024.

As noted in the submissions, Special Judge Sudhir Kumar Sirohi had allowed ED to examine the accused persons and also granted liberty to ED officials to carry their laptops, printer, and other required items for recording the statements of the above-mentioned accused persons.

ED had conducted raids at various sites in Tamil Nadu as part of an investigation into drug-related money laundering involving former DMK member Jaffer Sadiq and others.

The move came a month after the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Sadiq, who was earlier arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for his alleged involvement in an international drug trafficking case. ED registered its case against Sadiq, a day after the NCB arrested him.

As per official sources, the financial fraud probe agency registered the case against the former DMK functionary after the NCB found Sadiq’s links with some “high profile” people.

In its inquiry, the NCB found that Sadiq spearheaded the network that sourced pseudoephedrine in India and trafficked it to Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia under the guidance of food-grade cargo.

Officials in NCB believe that the drug syndicate operated by Sadiq sent 45 consignments over the course of three years to various countries, containing approximately 3,500 kilogrammes of pseudoephedrine.