Court verdict: Iqbal Mirchi’s son and wife are also fugitive economic offenders

The Enforcement Directorate had filed an application under Section 12 and Section 4 of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act 2018 in December last year. In this, the court was requested to declare Junaid Iqbal Memon and Asif Iqbal Memon (Mirchi’s sons) and Hajra Memon (wife) as fugitive economic offenders. The special court accepted the application and directed the Enforcement Directorate to seize their properties in India and abroad after following the prescribed procedure of law. The ED had registered a money laundering case last year against Mirchi, her family and others after studying several Mumbai police FIRs. Iqbal Mirchi died in 2013 at the age of 63 in London. According to the agency, Mirchi indirectly owned various properties in and around Mumbai. The ED filed a criminal case against Mirchi and others to investigate allegations of money laundering involving alleged illegal transactions in the purchase and sale of expensive immovable properties in Mumbai. In this case, assets worth about Rs 798 crore have been attached by the agency so far. A non-bailable warrant has also been issued against the three relatives of Mirchi after the ED filed a charge sheet against them. All three are said to be abroad and have been evading ED summons and court-issued warrants. Under the FEO Act, a person can be declared a fugitive economic offender if a warrant is issued against him for a crime of Rs 100 crore or more and has left the country and refuses to return.