ED seeks non-bailable warrant against Zakir Naik

Zakir Abdul Karim Naik is an Indian Islamic preacher, and the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation.

The Enforcement Directorate has moved a court seeking issuance of a non-bailable warrant against controversial Islamic preachers Dr Zakir Naik. The application was moved in the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Court in Mumbai.

Dr Zakir Naik is currently away in Saudi Arabia and has not responded to the summons issued by the ED. It may be recalled that the the National Investigation Agency has issued yet another summons to controversial Islamic preacher, Dr Zakir Naik. Incidentally this was the third summons in the past two months and Naik has been told to appear before the agency on April 17.

Naik suspected to be in Saudi Arabia has dodged the summons issued to him on previous occasions. The NIA had earlier rejected his request to depose through video conferencing while stating that since the charges were serious, the option could not be granted.

Naik had left India and has been living in Saudi Arabia for the past ten months. He has been repeatedly asked by the NIA to join the probe. He had been told to appear before the NIA on March 14 and when he refused to do so, the agency had given him another date on March 30.

The NIA now plans on moving the court to seek a warrant against him. The warrant would be served on him through the ministry for home and external affairs. If he fails to turn up, then the extradition process against him would begin, NIA sources say.

OneIndia News