Enforcement Directorate moves court to declare Zakir Naik a fugitive

Zakir Naik

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday moved an application before a special court here seeking to declare controversial Islamic preacher, Zakir Naik, a fugitive economic offender. Naik, believed to be in Malaysia, is facing the charge of allegedly laundering money to the tune of Rs 193 crore. The ED filed the application before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) seeking that Naik be declared as a fugitive economic offender under Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.

The court said it would hear the application on September 30. Last week, the court issued a fresh non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Naik in a 2016 money laundering case. The central agency has so far arrested two of Naik's aides namely Amir Gazdar and Najamuddin Sathak. The 53-year-old radical television preacher left India in 2016 and subsequently moved to the largely Muslim Malaysia, where he was granted permanent residency. The ED booked him in 2016 on an FIR filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The controversial preacher is wanted by authorities for alleged money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches. In July this year, the court issued summons against Naik after taking cognisance of a complaint filed by the ED against Dubai-based jeweller Abdul Kadir Najmudin Sathak for allegedly assisting the preacher in raise and diverting funds. Earlier, the agency had attached Naik's properties, including Islamic International School in Chennai, ten flats, three godowns, two buildings and land in Pune and Mumbai, besides bank accounts.

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