Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in its chargesheet has claimed that controversial televangelist Dr Zakir Naik transferred funds, received as donation to the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), to the IRF education trust which was also under his control. The ED also claimed that Naik did not have any known source of income or business despite travelling across the world to deliver speeches, and was still able to transfer Rs 49.20 crore into his bank account.
The ED has filed the chargesheet before special PMLA Judge M.S. Azmi, in which it has stated that Naik, known as an Islamic preacher who keeps travelling across the world to deliver speeches, does not have any known source of employment or business.
Even then, he has managed to transfer Rs 49.20 crore into his Indian bank accounts.
The agency further claimed that he had utilised the funds for investment in properties in Mumbai and Pune by layering the funds through accounts of his close relatives.
According to the ED, Naik also transferred the amount to bank accounts of his company Harmony Media, which is directly controlled by his directors and him, after layering it through accounts of his close relatives.
The ED claimed that total proceeds of the crime in this case were Rs 193.06 crore.
The agency has charged Naik and his associates with criminal conspiracy and money laundering, and said that funds received as donations to IRF were transferred to the IRF education trust which was also under Naik’s control. The ED further claimed that under the guise of donations, a building was constructed in Chennai to start an Islamic International School and a total Rs 6 crore was used for the same.
According to the ED, Naik knowingly participated in criminal activities, generated proceeds of the crimes, and used the same in the construction of the Chennai school building as also investment in mutual funds.
