J-K terror funding case: Four accused "voluntarily agreed to plead guilty" in ED case

New Delhi [India], February 3 : Four accused in the Jammu Kashmir Affectees Relief Trust (JKART) terror funding case on Friday have "voluntarily agreed to plead guilty" before the Special Court of Delhi's Patiala House Court.
The Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik said, "After making them understand the process, accused persons have voluntarily agreed to plead guilty. All the accused persons are being represented by their advocates who have also made them understand the process and consequences of pleading guilty. A separate statement of each of the accused regarding the plea of guilt has been recorded."
Four accused named Mohammad Shafi Shah, Talib Lali, Muzaffar Ahmad Dar and Mushtaq Ahmad Lone plead guilty before the court.
Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana alongwith Advocates Ali Khan and Ashish Kashyap represented the Enforcement Directorate in the case.
ED has alleged that the Trust was a front through which Hizbul Mujahideen received Rs 80 crore between 2004 and 2011 to carry out terror activities in India.
Earlier Court took cognizance under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in ED case related to a terror funding case involving Pakistan-based Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and others. The Court had also issued summons against all accused including Syed Salahuddin.
Syed Salahuddin is India's most wanted and internationally proscribed terrorist Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) chief.
"During the investigation, summons were issued to some of the Indian firms involved in barter trading and statements of three of the firms were recorded. Statements of the accused under Section 50 of PMLA were recorded. During the investigation, evidence was collected from various authorities. Details of properties attached by the directorate have been given in the chargesheet. After completion of the investigation, a complaint for the commission of the offence of money laundering as defined u/s 3 and punishable under Section 4 of PMLA has been filed", Court noted earlier.
According to the ED investigation, it was revealed that Mohammad Shafi Shah, Talib Lali, Mohd Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, Gulam Nabi Khan, Umer Farooq Shera, Manzoor Ahmed Dar, Zaffar Hussain Bhat, Nazir Ahmad Dar, Abdul Majeed Sofi and Mubarak Shah accused persons in connivance with co-conspirators and associates carried out several terrorist acts, raised, collected and received funds from Pakistan through the different medium for its expenditure and distribution to active cadres of HM and other terrorist outfits, purchase of material used for explosives and terrorist acts and abetment of terrorist acts.
Letters to Custom and Excise Srinagar were sent for obtaining the details of the companies of Jammu and Kashmir who were involved in barter trading with Pakistan and the list of Indian Traders who were involved in barter trading with Pakistani terror funding traders was obtained, ED submitted.
The ED had attached several properties in Kashmir that belonged to Mohammad Shafi Shah, a resident of Bandipora, Gulam Nabi, a resident of Anantnag district, and five other residents of the Union Territory, who allegedly worked for the terror outfit.
Provisional attachment order against these properties was issued in March 2019. After the confirmation of the provisional attachment of the properties by the adjudicating authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the possession of the six properties were taken.
The economic offences watchdog had filed a criminal case of money laundering in this instance after taking cognisance of a National Investigating Agency (NIA) chargesheet filed against Salahuddin, Shah and others under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).