Delhi Court Declares UK-Based Arms Dealer as Fugitive Economic Offender
A Delhi special court declared Sanjay Bhandari, a UK-based arms dealer, a Fugitive Economic Offender under the FEO Act. This comes amid a dispute over undisclosed foreign assets, despite the UK court's refusal to extradite Bhandari due to safety concerns. The ED argues possession of foreign assets over ₹100 crore.
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In a significant ruling on Saturday, a Delhi special court designated UK-based arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari as a Fugitive Economic Offender. This action falls under the Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEO) Act, linked to an income tax investigation involving undeclared foreign assets.
Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal delivered the judgment following the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) petition, which accused Bhandari of intentionally avoiding Indian legal proceedings and owning foreign assets worth over ₹100 crore. The ED highlighted that the UK's decision against extraditing Bhandari was irrelevant to the current Indian legal process.
Bhandari, through senior advocate Maninder Singh, opposed the ED's claims, asserting his UK residency is lawful, supported by a London High Court decision that denied extradition over safety concerns in Tihar jail. His defense argued the ED's submission was imprecise, lacking jurisdiction, and insufficient under the FEO Act, also contesting the asset valuation cited by the ED.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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