The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to MLA
Abbas Ansari in connection with a money laundering case.
Abbas Ansari is the son of gangster-politician and
former MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who died in jail a few months ago.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Pankaj Mithal
gave the relief to Ansari.
The apex court on August 14 had issued notice to the
Enforcement Directorate (ED) and sought its reply on the appeal filed by Ansari
challenging an order of the Allahabad High Court which rejected his bail.
The high court on May 9 had dismissed Ansari's bail
plea.
Considering
the material available on record, including the flow charts which clearly
demonstrate the origin of funds and also explains how the funds found their way
into the accounts of the accused Ansari, this court finds him not entitled for
a bail at this stage, the high court had said.
The high court had also mentioned in its order that
the money trail links Ansari with the movement of funds to and from the two
firms -- M/s Vikas Construction and M/s Aaghaaz. The firms, the ED has alleged,
were used by Ansari for money laundering.
The ED had registered a case against Ansari, a
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) MLA, under the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act, 2002 on the basis of three previous cases.
Ansari was booked in this case on November 4, 2022.
The Mau MLA is currently lodged in the Kasganj jail.