Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday for his alleged involvement in a money laundering case pertaining to financial irregularities in Delhi Waqf Board. Khan was taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) from his Okhla residence after the agency raided his house around 6:30 am, earlier today.
Releasing a video message just moments before his arrest by the ED, Amanatullah claimed that the agency was about to detain and harass him.
“ED has arrived at my house to arrest me…Just now, early in the morning, at the behest of the dictator, his puppet ED has reached my house; the dictator is leaving no stone unturned in harassing me and AAP leaders. I am ready to go to jail and I believe that the court will give me justice,” he said in Hindi.
Why Was Amanatullah Arrested
The action of ED against Amanatullah came after the Delhi High Court rejected his plea to stay the trial court proceedings against him for evading multiple ED summonses. Seeking ED's response to Khan’s petition, the HC refused to grant relief to AAP MLA in the Delhi Waqf Board case.
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According to PTI, he had evaded at least 10 ED summons since he was last questioned in April, before his arrest on Monday.
On April 4, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) complained to Khan under Section 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), along with Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 63(4) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The charges stem from his failure to comply with summons issued under Section 50 of the PMLA, which authorizes the agency to issue such summons.
What Is Delhi Waqf Board Case
The money laundering probe against Amanatullah stems from two FIRs lodged by two agencies - CBI and Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch. CBI had booked him for his alleged involvement in financial irregularities in the Waqf Board of Delhi and Delhi ACB registered a disproportionate asset FIR against Amanatullah.
As per CBI findings, Khan unlawfully appointed individuals to the Delhi Waqf Board in positions that were neither sanctioned nor existent, leading to financial losses for the Delhi government and illicit benefits for himself.
In a separate development, the ED's chargesheet revealed that Khan funneled his unlawful earnings into purchasing real estate, using associates like Jawed Imam Siddiqui, Daud Nasir, Zeeshan Haider, and Kausar Imam Siddiqui as intermediaries.