Delhi Waqf Board Case: ED Seeks Arrest Warrant Against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate Wednesday moved a Delhi court seeking an arrest warrant against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in appointments in the Delhi Waqf Board.

The Special Judge for CBI and ED, Rakesh Syal, listed the matter for April 18 after the probe agency sought time to file certain documents supporting the application.

"Fresh application for issuance of open-ended non-bailable warrant against Amanatullah Khan has been received from the Bail and Filing Section. It be checked and registered as per rules SPP (special public prosecutor) for ED seeks some time to file certain documents in support of the application. Heard. As requested, put up for consideration on April 18, 2024," the judge said.

The Okhla MLA of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Khan was not named as an accused in a recent chargesheet filed by the ED.

However, the probe agency had moved a magisterial court recently seeking prosecution of Khan for allegedly evading the agency's summons in the case.

Additionally, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra summoned Khan on April 20 in the case.

The federal probe agency also alleged before the ACMM that Khan had elevated his role from witness to accused by filing an anticipatory bail plea and running away from the investigation.

The ED had also stated that the agency could not conclude the probe against Khan because he had not presented himself before it.

"All the other persons are the aides of this particular person. His role is much larger than the other accused persons who have been already arrested and chargesheeted," the ED had said.

The agency has named five entities in its prosecution complaint (the ED's equivalent of a chargesheet), including three suspected associates of Khan-Zeeshan Haider, Daud Nasir and Jawed Imam Siddiqui.

The agency had, after conducting raids on premises linked to Khan and some others in October last year, claimed that the AAP MLA had acquired "huge proceeds of crime" in cash through illegal recruitment of staff to the Delhi Waqf Board and invested those for purchasing immovable assets in the name of his associates.

The searches were conducted in the case related to the illegal recruitment of staff and illegitimate personal gains made by the accused by unfairly leasing out the Waqf Board properties from 2018 to 2022 when Khan was its chairperson, the ED has alleged.

The money laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and three Delhi Police complaints.

Several "incriminating" materials in the form of physical and digital evidence were seized during the raids, indicating Khan's involvement in the offence of money laundering, as per the agency.

(Inputs from PTI. Except for the headline, Republic has not edited the content)