India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED), a financial crimes investigation agency, on Thursday (May 2) filed its first charge sheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, against controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, accusing him of money laundering, Indian nmedia reported.
As per media reports acquiring $28 million worth of criminal assets, which he has denied. Additionally, he has been accused of spreading hate speech and inciting terrorism by Indian authorities. The attached properties include investments in mutual funds, the Islamic International School building in Chennai, 10 flats, three godowns, two buildings, and land in Pune and Mumbai, besides 10 bank accounts, according to India’s financial crime investigating agency.
The investigation was based on a first information report (FIR) registered by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) for Naik’s role in “unlawful activities, the use of provocative utterances, and for promoting enmity between different religious groups in India”.
The ED added that most of Naik’s speeches from 2007 to 2011 were “planned, organised, funded and promoted by the Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation (IRF)”. From 2012 and 2016, Indian Rs492,000 were transferred from Naik’s accounts in United Arab Emirates (UAE) to his personal accounts in India, the ED said.
