The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding the bail plea of Abbas Ansari, an MLA incarcerated in connection with a money laundering case. Ansari, the son of the late gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, is challenging the Allahabad High Court’s decision to deny him bail.
Justices M M Sundresh and Sandeep Mehta, who presided over the proceedings, have requested a detailed response from the ED on the matter. The Allahabad High Court had previously rejected Ansari’s bail on May 9, citing a comprehensive examination of the money trail provided by the ED, which allegedly links Ansari to illicit financial transactions.
According to the High Court’s findings, the flow charts presented by the ED clearly mapped the origins and destinations of the funds, showing them funneling into the accounts of the accused. The High Court’s decision highlighted connections between Ansari and transactions involving two firms, M/s Vikas Construction and M/s Aaghaaz, which are accused of being instrumental in laundering money.
The ED initiated the case against Ansari, a member of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), based on evidence from three prior cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. He was officially booked under this case on November 4, 2022, and is currently held in Kasganj jail.
