CHENNAI: A year after Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji arrested in a money laundering case, a city special court on Thursday framed charges against him.
S Alli, judge in the special court for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, informed Senthil Balaji that charge has been framed under Section 3 (offence of money laundering) of the PMLA punishable under Section 4 (punishment for money laundering).
The charge was read in English and explained in Tamil. Denying the charge, the former minister pleaded not guilty and requested the court to conduct the trial. The court then issued summons to three witnesses and adjourned the hearing to Aug 16. His judicial remand was also extended till then.
On June 14, 2023, Senthil Balaji was arrested by ED. On Aug 12, 2023, the agency filed a 3,000-page chargesheet against him. Senthil Balaji's petition to postpone the framing of charges till Supreme Court decided his bail application was turned down by the special court.
On Wednesday, a division bench of Madras high court ordered notice to ED on an appeal moved by Senthil Balaji to set aside an order of a sessions court refusing to discharge him from the money laundering case.
ED asked to file report by Aug 14 Admitting the appeal, a division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam directed ED to file its response by Aug 14. According to the petitioner, ED has not placed on record anything to establish that either the petitioner or his family or associates ever attempted to contact any of the witnesses to pressure them not to disclose any information or that they either threatened or coerced witnesses as alleged by ED.
Till date, there was no allegation/complaint by any witness (either in the investigation relating to predicate offence or under PMLA) of being approached by him or by anyone on his behalf to give false evidence, Senthil Balaji said. The special court has not appreciated the aforesaid aspects that the foundational fact of proceeds of crime was not established by ED as the proceeds of crime relied on by it was nowhere to be found, Senthil Balaji added.
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