Supreme Court grants ED custody of Hasan Ali

The Enforcement Directorate finally got the custody of India’s alleged top tax evader Hasan Ali with the Supreme Court on Thursday staying a Mumbai court order that had granted bail to Ali.

The Supreme Court granted four days’ custody to ED to interrogate Hasan Ali.

The court even ordered his arrest in the money laundering cases, reports said.

The 53-year-old Pune businessman was arrested on Mar 7 after he was taken by the ED for interrogation but in a major setback to the ED a Mumbai sessions court on Mar 11 had granted bail to Ali.

Saying that the ED had failed to provide adequate evidence against Khan?s money-laundering, the Mumbai sessions court had said the agency will not be given his custody.

The sessions court had pulled up the ED for preparing a ?sloppy? case against Ali, while seeking 14 days’ remand.

But ED had sought ‘time to probe to bring the case to logical conclusion.’

ED said Ali was not cooperating with them despite questioning for 18 times.

The ED counsel had also submitted before the court that Ali?s purported links with international arms smugglers need to be properly probed as it is a issue concerning national security.

Ali claimed that he was ?innocent? in the black money hoarding case even as the Supreme Court mulled slapping anti-terror laws against Khan and other such criminals.

?I am a victim of a political conspiracy. I am innocent,? Khan said.

Khan, who reportedly evaded tax worth Rs 70,000 crore, was booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after he was taken to Mumbai for questioning on black money and tax evasion.

Khan?s arrest has been followed by raids at premises of his associates in Mimbai, Pune, Gurgaon, Kolkata and other places since Monday evening.

The arrest had followed the Supreme Court?s strong words against the government, questioning its failure to crack the whip on black money hoarders.