ED fines Huriyat leader Geelani Rs 14.40 lakh in foreign exchange case

Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Pic/AFP

New Delhi: The ED has levied a penalty of '14.40 lakh on hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in a 17-year-old case of illegal possession of $10,000 in alleged contravention of the foreign exchange law, officials said.

The foreign currency, that equals to about '6.90 lakh has also been confiscated by the agency as part of an order issued under the Foreign Exchange Management Act on March 20. The foreign currency was seized during an Income Tax raid at Geelani's residence in Srinagar's Hyderpora area in 2002.

The case against Geelani has been adjudicated and penalty and confiscation order has been issued by the special director rank of the agency, who is entrusted to adjudicate the FEMA cases.

Geelani heads the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference and is based in Srinagar. The ED took up the case after taking cognisance of the I-T report and had also issued summons to Geelani to appear before it. Geelani's counsel had then submitted a written reply and "denied" the recovery of foreign currency from his residence and the subsequent seizure.

$10,000
Amount of foreign currency the agency had confiscated

2002
Year the foreign currency was seized

30
Days in which Geelani has to show cause

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