Reason why court called Jacqueline an accused

Dehli High Court directed cops to file charges against Jacqueline Fernandez and others in a money laundering case linked with conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

Court from the beginning started treating Jacqueline as an accused and not as a victim though she claimed otherwise. While framing charges, the court spoke about Jacqueline's alleged involvement. “She was in connivance with Sukesh Chandrasekhar to conceal the use of proceeds of crime (POC),” the court stated.

The court noted that the allegations against Jacqueline were that she received gifts worth ₹5.71 crore from Sukesh Chandrasekhar, knowing of his criminal past through the accused Pinky Irani and Leepakshi Ellawadi. It is also alleged that she received $172K (over ₹1.4 crore) into the foreign bank account of her sister, Geraldine J Walker, and Australian $26K (over ₹10 lakh) into the foreign bank account of her brother, Warren J Fernandez.

While framing the charges, ASJ Prashant Sharma said, “I conclude that prima facie there is sufficient material on record, raising a strong suspicion that the accused Jacqueline Fernandez committed the offence under section 3 of PMLA, punishable under section 4 of PMLA.”

The court also observed, “During the recording of the statement, Jacqueline Fernandez and, upon being confronted with evidence of the purchase of cars for the parents of Jacqueline, recovered from the mobile of Pinki, she admitted to receiving cars from her parents, which indicated her connivance with the accused Sukash for concealing the use of POC, which was to buy the cars for her parents.”