ED arrests Moideen K Faizy, national president of SDPI from Delhi IGI airport in PFI case
ED had attached the movable and immovable properties amounting to 61.72 crore in this case till date
New Delhi, March 5
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Moideen K Faizy, the national president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) from Delhi IGI airport, in connection with a money laundering probe against the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).
The SDPI, founded in 2009 and headquartered in Delhi, is alleged to be the political front of the PFI, which was banned by the Union government in September 2022.
As per the case details, Faizy was summoned by the ED multiple times and was given as many as 12 opportunities, but he didn’t appear and evaded the investigation. A complaint was filed on March 28, 2024 by ED against Faizy before the concerned court for his non-appearance and a Bailable Warrant (BW) vide order dated December 17 last year against him. Subsequently, upon non-execution of BW, a Non-Bailable warrant (NBW) was issued vide order dated January 17 against him and the same also could not be executed despite best possible efforts made to trace the whereabouts of him.
Thr ED stated that investigations were conducted against PFI and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on the basis of FIRs registered by the National Investigation Agency in 2013.
The ED probe revealed that the office bearers, members and cadres of PFI were conspiring and raising/collecting funds from within India and abroad through banking channels, Hawala, donations etc. for committing and financing terrorist acts across India.
The ED had attached the movable and immovable properties amounting to 61.72 crore in this case till date. So far, nine prosecution complaints (PCs) have been filed in this case before the court; 26 members of the PFI have already been arrested in this case.
The officials added that during search proceedings conducted on December 3, 2020 at various locations belonging to PFI and its office bearers, numerous incriminating documents and digital evidence were recovered and seized, that establishes that PFI used to control, fund and supervise the activities of SDPI; that SDPI is a front of PFI having common members/cadres and leaders; that SDPI was dependent on PFI for its day-to-day functions, policy making other related activities.
