Rana Ayyub approaches Delhi HC to challenge ED attachment of funds
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New Delhi: Journalist Rana Ayyub has moved to the Delhi High Court challenging the attachment of funds by the Enforcement Directorate. She claimed the provisional attachment has expired after the completion of 180 days.
"The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) is continuing with proceedings of the probe agency," her plea stated.
ED has accused Ayyub of allegedly misusing funds collected for charity through the website ketto.com. In February, the investigative agency attached her assets worth Rs 1.77 crore claiming that the money was traced to the proceeds of crime.
The central agency claims that the funds were raised in the name of charity in a completely pre-planned and systematic manner. Their probe found that the money was not utilised completely for the Covid relief work for which they were raised. ED further alleged that Ayyub parked some of the funds by opening a separate bank account. She also created a fixed deposit of Rs 50 lakh.
She used the online crowdfunding platform to raise money via three campaigns - Funds for slum dwellers and farmers from April- May 2020, Relief work for Assam, Bihar, and Maharashtra during June- September 2020, and Help for Covid-19 impacted people in India from May-June 2021.
She had earlier approached the court challenging the travel restrictions imposed by the ED. She was stopped from going abroad to deliver a speech at the International Centre of Journalists. She was also stopped at the Mumbai Airport when she was about to board a flight to the UK. The Delhi High Court in April allowed her to travel internationally on certain conditions.
Rana Ayyub is known for her investigative book 'Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up'. She is an opinion columnist with The Washington Post.