UK Court Denies Probe Agency's Appeal To Extradite Sanjay Bhandari To India
New Delhi:
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday apprised a Delhi court about the dismissal of its appeal against a UK court order denying the extradition of high profile arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari to India.
The ED made the submission before Special Judge Neelofer Abida Perveen during the hearing of a money laundering case against Bhandari and others.
The federal probe agency informed the judge that its application seeking to declare Bhandari a "fugitive" is currently pending before another Delhi court, which will hear the matter on May 3.
The judge noted the submission made by ED's special public prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta and posted the matter for May 26 for further proceedings in the case.
Bhandari's counsel on April 19 opposed ED's plea before the court seeking to declare him a "fugitive", claiming that his stay in the UK was legal since his extradition to India was denied by the London high court.
The London high court's order in Bhandari's case was cited by an England court on April 11 to turn down the Indian government's request to extradite another accused in an alleged multi-crore rice buying scam.
According to reports, fugitive Indian diamantaire Mehul Choksi, arrested in Belgium recently, has also cited the HC order to oppose his extradition for a trial to India in connection to the alleged Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank fraud.
Bhandari's name has also cropped up in ED's ongoing probe in a money laundering case against Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The High Court of Justice, London, UK in February allowed Bhandari's appeal against his extradition to face charges of alleged tax evasion and money laundering, saying that in Tihar jail here he would be at "real risk" of extortion, accompanied by threat or "actual violence" from other prisoners and prison officials.
The High Court of Justice, UK earlier this month also dismissed the petition filed by the government of India seeking permission to appeal in Britain's Supreme Court against its order.
The London high court allowed Bhandari's appeal on human rights grounds.
The court also ordered his "discharge" from the then UK home secretary Suella Braverman's extradition order to face criminal proceedings in India based on a Westminster Magistrate's Court ruling in November 2022.
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