Conman case: Jacqueline gets nod for Dubai travel; Lawyer cites ’Oscar Nominee’ as defence

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

Dubai, Jan 27, 2023: In a big relief for Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez, Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Friday granted her permission to travel to Dubai from January 27 to 30, to attend the PepsiCo India conference.

 

The hearing comes after the actor moved an application in a Delhi court stating that she has been invited to attend the event in Dubai as a star performer for a concert scheduled on Sunday, January 29.

Fernandez is one of the accused in a Rs 200 Crore money laundering case also involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. She was granted regular bail in the case on November 15, 2022. Fernandez was not arrested in the case.

Additional Sessions Judge Shailendra Malick who had earlier posted the matter for Friday after the ED sought time to file a detailed reply to her application, gave the final court order on Friday.

During the court hearing, Fernandez’s lawyer argued that the actor needed to travel to Dubai as she was under a contractual obligation and could be sued over her absence at the event. The actor’s lawyer also told the Patiala House Court that the she has also been nominated for the Oscars recently which is a matter of pride for the country.

In December last year, Fernandez had moved a similar plea seeking permission to travel abroad to visit her ill mother in Bahrain, but withdrew it as the court wasn’t willing to allow her to travel abroad.

Earlier this week, the Delhi court had granted exemption from personal appearance to the Bollywood actor for one day in the money laundering case. Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik, who was scheduled to hear the arguments on framing charges in the matter, adjourned the matter for February 15.

Investigators probing the Rs 200 crore scam recently found that Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar had allegedly promised an amount of at least Rs 10 crore (100 million) to his aide Pinky Irani to befriend actor Jacqueline Fernandez.

A native of Bengaluru in Karnataka, Chandrashekhar is currently lodged in a Delhi jail and faces over 10 criminal cases.