Money laundering: Satyendar Jain withdraws interim bail plea, wife released

Delhi Cabinet Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday withdrew his interim bail plea filed on medical grounds. Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case on May 30.

The special CBI court on Saturday noted that Satyendar Jain is getting discharged from the hospital today and wishes to withdraw the application for interim bail.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel on Saturday after noting down the submission of Jain's lawyer, allowed him to withdraw the bail plea.

Meanwhile, the court granted interim bail to Poonam Jain, wife of Satyendar Jain in the case and noted that she was not arrested during the investigation and a chargesheet has already been filed by the ED in the case.

Recently, the court took cognisance of the Prosecution Complaint (Chargesheet) filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Satyendar Jain, his wife and eight others including 4 firms in connection to the money laundering case.

On last date of hearing, the court also granted interim bail to two accused Ajeet Kumar Jain and Sunil Kumar Jain who were named as accused in the chargesheet, for a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and asked their counsels to file regular bail on the next date.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) naming the Delhi Minister and others in a money laundering case. The ED prosecution complaint has named Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, Vaibhav Jain, Ankush Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain and Sunil Jain including four private firms as accused. The accused in the prosecution complaint are accused of violations under sections of the money laundering Act.

The ED on June 6 had claimed to have seized Rs 2.85 crore of cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg from Satyendra Jain's aides during its day-long raid conducted at various places across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The agency had also seized various incriminating documents and digital records during these raids.

The ED then said that the total movable assets were seized from "an unexplained source" and were "found to be secreted" in the raided premises.

The ED had initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of a First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 24 August 2017 under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Satyendar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

The CBI filed a chargesheet on 3 December 2018 against Satyendar Kumar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

The chargesheet mentioned that Satyendar Jain, while holding the office as a Minister in the Government of Delhi, during the period from 14 February 2014 to 31 May 2017, had acquired assets which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI has accused Satyendar Kumar Jain and others of the commission of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Jain was arrested after the ED attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore, in April, owned by the private firms under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with the disproportionate asset and money laundering case registered against Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and others.