Others who received 'gifts'...: Jacqueline names Nora Fatehi in response to ED, calls herself a 'victim'

Days after being named by the Enforcement Directorate as an accused in a multi-crore money laundering case linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez has now filed her reply to the central agency. 

In her response, the actor said that despite cooperating with the investigative agencies, she was not being considered as a ‘victim’ of the case. 

Fernandez called herself ‘a victim of the modus operandi adopted by Sukesh’ and alleged that the case built against her is baseless.

“She is a victim of the modus operandi adopted by the main accused Mr Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Taking the entire prosecution case to be true for the sake of arguments, even then, no case is made out against the present Respondent under the scheme of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act or any law in force. This is a case of malafide prosecution,” read a part of her response. 

Jacqueline, in her reply, also added that in the present case, at best, the allegation against her is that she is the "Recipient of the Gifts".

The record and the statement by the authority itself clearly show that she was coerced, conned and forced into receiving the said gift. People other than her who received such gifts are made "witness" in the case, she said while naming actor Nora Fatehi.

Fernandez also stated in her reply that her FDs have no connection to Chandrasekhar and were created even before the conman ‘existed’. She stated that the FDs attached vide the impugned order, had no nexus with crime nor were the Fixed Deposits created by using the alleged proceeds of crime. 

"The actor claimed that deposits are from the actor`s own legitimate sources of income and much before in time from even knowing that the main accused Chandrashekhar even existed in this world," stated the Enforcement Directorate.

The chargesheet, filed by the ED before Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh on Wednesday, names Fernandez as an accused for the first time in the case.

Jacqueline Fernandez has been summoned by ED several times in the matter. ED`s earlier chargesheet did not mention her name as an accused but mentioned the detail of the statement recorded by Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi in the matter.

According to ED's earlier chargesheet, Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi were examined and stated that the actors got top models of BMW cars, the most expensive gifts from the accused Sukesh. 

ED chargesheet clearly stated that "during the investigation, statements of Jacqueline Fernandez were recorded on 30.08.2021 and 20.10.2021 Jacqueline Fernandez stated she received gifts viz - 3 designer bags from Gucci, Chanel, 2 Gucci outfits for gym wear. A pair of Louis Vuitton shoes, 2 pairs of diamond earrings and a bracelet of multi-colored stones, 2 Hermes bracelets. She also received a Mini Cooper car which she returned.