Money laundering case: SC issues notice to ED on Abbas Ansari's bail plea

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 14 August sought response from the Enforcement Directorate on the bail plea filed by jailed MLA Abbas Ansari in connection with a money laundering case.

Abbas Ansari is the son of gangster-politician and former MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who died in jail a few months ago.

A bench of justices M M Sundresh and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and sought its reply on the appeal filed by Ansari challenging an order of the Allahabad High Court which rejected his bail.

The high court on 9 May had dismissed Ansari's bail plea, noting the money trail put forward by the ED in the case against him.

Considering the material available on record, including the flow charts which clearly demonstrate the origin of funds and also explains how the funds found their way into the accounts of the accused Ansari, this court finds him not entitled for a bail at this stage, the high court had said.

The high court had also mentioned in its order that the money trail links Ansari with the movement of funds to and from the two firms -- M/s Vikas Construction and M/s Aaghaaz. The firms, the ED has alleged, were used by Ansari for money laundering.

The ED had registered a case against Ansari, a Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) MLA, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 on the basis of three previous cases.

Ansari was booked in this case on 4 November, 2022.

The Mau MLA is currently lodged in the Kasganj jail.