ED files supplementary complaint against 2 PFI leaders under PMLA

PROBE SAID THAT ‘PROCEEDS OF CRIME’ IN THE FORM OF UNACCOUNTED AND UNEXPLAINED CASH AND FOREIGN FUNDS WERE PARKED IN MVVP

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a supplementary prosecution complaint against two leaders of the Popular Front of India (PFI) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) before the Special PMLA Court, Lucknow with a prayer for awarding punishment to the accused.

Cognizance of the offence of money laundering has been taken by the Court.

Earlier, a Prosecution Complaint had been filed by the ED on February 6, 2021, against five office bearers/ members of PFI and its student wing Campus Front of India. Cognizance of the offence of money laundering was taken by the Court against all the accused, an official statement by the law enforcement agency said.

The Supplementary Prosecution Complaint has been filed against PFI leaders Abdul Razaq Peediyakka and Asharaf Khadir who, in association with other PFI leaders and members associated with overseas entities were developing a residential project Munnar Villa Vista Project (MVVP) at Munnar, Kerala with a motive to launder money collected from foreign countries as well as within the country and to generate funds for PFI to finance its radical activities.

The investigation established that ‘proceeds of crime’ in the form of unaccounted and unexplained cash as well as foreign funds were parked in MVVP and were projected as untainted.

The investigation revealed that Abdul, a long time dedicated member of PFI and its related entities, who also served as PFI Divisional President for Perumpadappu, Malappuram, Kerala, was a key figure representing such organizations’ in the Gulf countries and was actively involved and instrumental in the fund-raising activities of PFI in India and abroad.

He transferred around ₹34 lakh from UAE to Rehab India Foundation (RIF)--a front organization of PFI.

Similarly, he transferred ₹2 lakh to MK Faizy --president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) - a political front of PFI. An investigation also revealed that he was involved in raising/ collecting funds abroad and he transferred around ₹19 crore to India through underground/illegal channels.

Similarly, an investigation revealed that Ashraf, a member of PFI Kerala State Executive Council, who was also originally arraigned by NIA as an accused in Professor Joseph hand-chopping case of 2010, actively participated in the activities of PFI’s related entities such as SDPI, CFI, etc and he was also involved in funding of PFI.