Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez appeared before the Patiala House Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty in the money laundering case linked to an alleged Rs 200-crore extortion racket, declaring her intent to contest the charges at trial.
After the court formally framed charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Fernandez denied all allegations levelled against her. "I will face the trial," she said.
Co-accused in the case include alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, his wife Leena Maria Paul, and others. The Enforcement Directorate's probe revealed that Chandrashekhar allegedly ran a criminal network from jail, extorting vast sums, with the proceeds used for lavish purchases.
A Delhi court had earlier ordered charges to be framed against 17 individuals in the case.
The roots of the case go back to an elaborate fraud. Chandrashekhar, a native of Bengaluru currently lodged in a Delhi jail, has been accused of extorting Rs 200 crore while lodged in Rohini jail — posing as an official from the law ministry and the PMO, and making spoofed calls to dupe victims into believing they were speaking to senior government officers, on the pretext of securing bail for their jailed family members.
His primary alleged victim, reportedly, was Aditi Singh, wife of former Ranbaxy owner Shivinder Singh.
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Fernandez's name entered the case through her alleged relationship with Chandrashekhar. The ED attached Jacqueline's fixed deposits worth Rs 7.2 crore, terming them proceeds of crime — gifts allegedly chosen by Chandrashekhar's aide Pinky Irani and delivered to the actress's residence.
These gifts reportedly included Persian cats, luxury handbags, and high-end jewellery. Irani, who allegedly introduced Chandrashekhar to several Bollywood personalities by portraying him as a business tycoon, is also named as an accused.
The Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing had filed a chargesheet naming 14 accused — including Chandrashekhar, his wife Leena Maria Paul, and others — alleging they used hawala routes and shell companies to park money earned from proceeds of crime.
Fernandez, a Sri Lankan national who has maintained her innocence throughout the prolonged legal proceedings, now faces a full trial in the case. The next date of hearing is yet to be announced.
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