Moin Qureshi

New Delhi : A court here on Thursday extended by four days the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody of meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi, who was arrested in a money laundering case.

After being presented before the court on the expiry of his five-day custody, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj allowed the ED to quiz Qureshi till September 4.

Public Prosecutor N.K. Matta, while seeking extension of Qureshi’s custody, told the court that seven witnesses have been examined and a trail of Rs 12 crore has been found.

Prosecutor Matta said that investigation with regard to properties outside India is also to be conducted and he is to be confronted with audio recordings of his conversations. He added that various shell companies are also involved in the laundering case.

The ED also said that it has to confront Qureshi to identify government officials as well as other associates who were involved in the transfer of corruption money.

The ED is trying to identify foreign trade associates.

“The entire money trail of foreign remittances and their sources is to be ascertained and verified through the accused,” the ED said.

Opposing the ED’s plea, defence counsel R.K. Handoo said that he has filed a plea challenging Qureshi’s arrest in connection with the money laundering case before a Delhi court, which has issued notice to the Centre and the Enforcement Directorate.

Qureshi was arrested on August 25 by the ED, after it had registered a case against him in 2016 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for alleged illegal forex dealings and tax evasion.

According to the financial crimes probe agency, Qureshi was being investigated for allegedly remitting funds through hawala channels to Dubai, London, and a few other destinations in Europe.

The ED said that during the course of investigation, certain facts had emerged that constituted omission and commission of certain acts on the part of certain public servants holding high offices in collusion with Qureshi, whereby massive illegal money transactions were carried out.

The agency also said that the records collected from the Income Tax Department had revealed that Qureshi took huge money from different persons for obtaining “undue favours from public servants” after exercising his personal influence.

Qureshi has denied the charges.

—IANS