ED: Money laundering an offence against nation

P Chidambaram

New Delhi: Money laundering is an offence against "society and nation", the ED told the Supreme Court on Thursday and said it needed custodial interrogation of former finance minister P Chidambaram to unearth the larger conspiracy in the INX Media case under PMLA. The SC said it will pronounce on September 5 the order in the case.

The Enforcement Directorate told the SC that it cannot show the material collected during the probe to Chidambaram at this stage as the prrof related to money trail of layers of money might be erased.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for ED, said there is no requirement of "exposing the materials, sources and evidence to the accused at the stage of pre-arrest bail" and investigation is the exclusive domain of the probe agency. "Money laundering is an offence against the society and the nation and probe agency has a right and duty to unearth the entire conspiracy," he told the bench.

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