The Weekend Leader - Moin Qureshi aide Satish Babu Sana granted bail

Moin Qureshi aide Satish Babu Sana granted bail

New Delhi

19-August-2019

 A court here on Monday granted bail to businessman Satish Babu Sana, a close aide of controversial meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi, in a money laundering case.

Granting bail, special CBI Judge Anuradha Shukla Bhardwaj directed him to furnish a personal bail bond of Rs 5 lakh and one surety of like amount.

"The accused is, however, directed to co-operate in investigation and make himself available as and when called for by the investigating agency. He shall not leave the country without the permission of the court...," the court said.

Allowing bail to Sana, the court observed that Qureshi, who is the main accused in the case, is already out on bail and Sana's role in the case is no graver than him.

During the course of hearing on Saturday, lawyers K.T.S. Tulsi and Mohit Mathur, appearing for Sana, contended that his statements cannot lead to his arrest as he was a witness and there is immunity provided to a witness that no such answers that a witness is compelled to give can subject him to be arrested.

Tulsi argued that the entire case against Sana is based on his statements given in 2017 and 2019.

Mathur contended that the statements that he made to authorities in 2017 were recorded under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act of which his status as a witness was determined. He asked can the authorities now say that his statements were unreliable and one year down, had "become a thorn in their skin".

Opposing the submissions, Special Public Prosecutor D.P. Singh argued: "We made him accused from a witness as the investigation reveals many things against him... we don't want to go to a stage where he is not telling anything and still enjoying the immunity."

"This is a crucial stage amidst the investigation... we can make him an accused and granting him bail at this stage will affect the investigation," he added.

Observing they have "a short window of 60 days of which 20 days have passed" and hence it was necessary till the time the charge sheet is filed, bail should not be granted, he said, adding that all others were granted bail after the charge sheet was filed.

During the investigation of the case, it came to the fore that Sana was a close aide of Qureshi, who is accused of hawala transactions through Delhi-based operators.

In October last year, on the basis of a complaint filed by Sana, a case was registered against the then CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana on charges of accepting a bribe from a businessman, who was related to the case. IANS 



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