Supplementary chargesheet likely against Lalu’s daughter Misa Bharti, ED tells court

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate told a Delhi court Thursday that it is likely to file a supplementary charge sheet against RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti and her husband in an alleged money laundering case.

The agency told Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj that it has attached certain new properties in relation to the case recently.

ED’S special public prosecutor Atul Tripathi, who was scheduled to start argument on framing of charges, sought more time from the court saying the probe is still on.

The court was on August 28 informed by the ED that all the documents filed along with the charge sheet were handed over to the accused.

Bharti, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, and her husband Shailesh Kumar were granted bail on March 5 after they appeared before the court in pursuance to summons issued against them.

The court had on February 8 issued summonses against Bharti, her husband and her firm Mishail Packers and Printers as accused in the case after taking cognizance of the charge sheet filed by the ED. The charge sheet had accused them of money laundering.

The ED had on December 23 last year filed its final report against Bharti and her husband.

The agency had earlier attached a Delhi farmhouse of the couple in connection with its money-laundering probe.

The farmhouse, located at 26, Palam Farms in south Delhi’s Bijwasan area, was attached provisionally under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

It belonged to Bharti and Kumar and was “held in the name of M/s Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited”, the central probe agency had said.

“It was purchased in 200809, using Rs 1.2 crore involved in money laundering,” it had alleged.

The agency had raided the farmhouse and a few other locations in July last year as part of its probe against two brothers -- Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain -- and others, who were alleged to have laundered several crores of rupees using shell companies.

The Jain brothers, currently on bail, were arrested by the ED under the PMLA.