Jacqueline Fernandez gets bail in money laundering case

Actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Tuesday was granted mail by a Delhi court in the ₹200 crore money laundering case. The money laundering case involved conman Sukesh Chandrashekar that is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate.

The bail was granted to Jacqueline Fernandez on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs. 2 lakh and one surety in the like amount.

The actor had sought bail on the ground that there was no need for her custody since the investigation is already complete and the charge sheet has been filed.

On November 11, special judge Shailendra Malik had said the order was not ready and had extended the interim protection granted to Fernandez, till Tuesday.

The court on Thursday had reserved its order after hearing arguments from lawyers appearing for the actor as well as the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The ED had opposed Fernandez's bail plea, stating that she can escape the country easily. It also told the court that it has issued a Lookout Circular (LOC) on airports to stop the actress from leaving the country.

During the arguments, the court had questioned ED for deciding to not arrest Fernandez during the investigation of the case. “Why haven’t you (ED) arrested Jacqueline yet during the investigation despite issuing an LOC? Other accused are in jail…Why are you putting different criteria?" the special judge had said.

“You can’t have a pick-and-choose policy. There must be reasons for not arresting (an accused)," the court remarked.

The court had on August 31 accepted the supplementary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate and asked Jacqueline Fernandez to appear before the court.

The actor was summoned by Enforcement Directorate several times in connection with the investigation, has been named as an accused for the first time in the supplementary charge sheet.

The agency's earlier charge sheet and a supplementary charge sheet did not mention her as an accused.

ED chargesheet clearly stated that during the investigation the actor stated that she had recieved gifts including three designer bags and two Gucci outfits for gym wear. A pair of Louis Vuitton shoes, two pairs of diamond earrings and a bracelet of multi-coloured stones, two Hermes bracelets. She also received a Mini Cooper which she returned.