New Delhi, Apr 1 A special PMLA court in Lucknow has declared a former Uttar Pradesh MLC a "fugitive economic offender" and ordered the confiscation of three sugar mills worth about Rs 1,000 crore following the ED's investigation into a money laundering case against him.
On Tuesday, according to the order accessed by PTI, Special Judge Rahul Prakash of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act court declared Mohd Iqbal an offender under the Fugitive Economic Offender Act (FEOA) of 2018.
Three sugar mills, which have an aggregate value of Rs 995.75 crore, have been ordered for confiscation by the court, the order said.
The FEOA was enacted by the Union government to bring to justice those who fled India to evade the law after committing fraud involving at least Rs 100 crore.
Iqbal, who hails from the Saharanpur district of the state, served as a Member of the UP Legislative Council from the BSP between 2010-16.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the court that Iqbal did not respond to a summons issued by it apart from a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against him by a court in November, 2025.
The federal probe agency informed the court that the former MLC is currently based in Dubai.
The ED filed a money-laundering case against Iqbal and others, taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) and cases registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concerning illegal sand mining and the sale of sugar mills.
The Supreme Court had in 2016 directed the CBI to conduct a probe against Iqbal after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed before it, alleging that the former legislator was indulging in corruption and money laundering.
The sugar mills were sold to Mohd Iqbal and his family members at a "throwaway" price of only Rs 60.28 crore through the disinvestment/ sale process in 2010-11, the agency had earlier said.
