Probe Agency Imposes Rs 14.40 Lakh Penalty On Syed Ali Shah Geelani

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday imposed a penalty of Rs 14.40 lakh on separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani under the Foreign Exchange Management Act for illegally possessing foreign exchange of US $10,000.

In 2017 also the probe agency had summoned the 87-year-old separatist leader Geelani for allegedly possessing foreign exchange to the tune of US $10,000 illegally.

Along with Geelani, the ED also imposed a penalty and confiscated the illegal acquisition of foreign exchange recovered from Yasin Malik, former chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). The adjudication proceedings against Yasin Malik are in progress. More details on the matter are awaited.

A case has also been registered against another separatist leader Shabir Shah under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly receiving Proceeds of Crime (PoC) to the tune of Rs. 62.96 lakhs in cash through Hawala.

The PoC of Rs. 62.96 lakh was attached under the PMLA and prosecution complaint has also been filed against Shabir Shah and his associate Mohammad Aslam Vani.

Shah was later arrested under PMLA Act and is still in judicial custody.

As per the document issued by ED, the authority have traced four properties of Shah and is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.

Apart from separatists leaders, the ED has also tightened the noose around the terror financing accused.

In its dossier, the ED has stated that the investigation against global terrorist Hafiz Mohammad Sayed and others were conducted under PMLA on the basis of chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency.

"The investigation has led to the identification of Proceeds of Crime (PoC) of more than Rs. 7 crore which was received by Watali from Dubai and Pakistan. The PoC of Rs. 5.62 crores was received in India from Dubai from undisclosed sources and Rs 1.62 crore was received in India partially from Hafiz Sayed and ISI and partially from Pakistan High Commission."

The investigation has further revealed that Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali was raising these funds and transferring it to Hurriyat Leaders, separatist and stone-pelters.

"More than 25 properties in the name of associates of Hafiz Sayed have been identified and one property located at Gurgaon having a registered value of Rs. 1.03 Crores has already been attached under Section 5 of PMLA on 11.03.2019. Further investigation is in progress," the document by ED read.

The name of Syed Salahuddin, who is a self-styled commander of Hizb-Ul-Mujahiddin was also mentioned by the ED in its document stating that the Pakistan government has been providing illegal funds to him.