NSCN-K (Niki) rejects money laundering charge

NSCN/GPRN- K (Niki) said the Central government should have the seriousness of being sincere to resolve the Indo- Naga political issue instead of using its agencies to demoralise and assassinate the characters of Naga leaders in public domain and stooping to the level of harassing family members for spreading lies and propagandas, which was least expected action from a country that took pride as the world’s biggest democracy and also as an emerging global power.
Reacting to news reports of a special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Imphal East declaring its president ‘gen.’ (retd) Niki Sumi as an “absconder under PMLA”, the Niki-led NSCN/GPRN (K) in a statement clarified that the case was related to a 2017 incident wherein a mobile vehicle checkpoint near Karong, Manipur manned by 34 Assam Rifles intercepted and seized money that was meant for celebration of the then upcoming 25th anniversary of marriage at Taga, Myanmar.
The group claimed that the Assam Rifles forwarded the matter to Manipur Police and consequently a case was filed in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Senapati wherein all relevant documents regarding the source of the seized money was produced and, after due judicial processes, the court passed a ruling on May 9, 2017 (case no. 10 of 2017 Ref. FIR NO. 8(4) SPT P.S. U/S I7UA(P) Act) in favour of the accused and ordered returning the seized money.
As Niki was at no point in time arrested with money in possession, the group asked the Centre in which other cases of money laundering was Niki Sumi involved as alleged. It stated that the central government should never have invited it for the peace process if the intent was to totally undermine Naga political rights by using pressure tactics.
NSCN/GPRN (K) asserted that the central government’s policy of underhand and arm-twisting tactics of carrot and stick would never undermine or sabotage Naga political rights that were based on strong historical foundations.