The Supreme Court on 4 September 2025, declined to order the immediate release of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Ahmed Shah on interim bail in an alleged terror funding case. However, a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought the National Investigation Agency (NIA)’s opinion on a special leave petition (SLP) filed by Shah seeking bail.

The Justice Nath-led Bench appeared unconvinced by senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves’s submission that Shah’s “very sick” condition warranted his release on interim bail.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had rejected Shah’s bail plea, stating that the possibility cannot be ruled out that, as Chairman of an unlawful organisation, he would not indulge in similar unlawful activities and may attempt to tamper with evidence or influence witnesses yet to be examined.

“Although the appellant (Shah) has been in custody for five years, the charges have already been framed, and the trial is underway. There is no delay on the part of the prosecution for not examining its witnesses,” said a Bench of Justices Shalinder Kaur and Navin Chawla, rejecting his plea for release on bail on the ground of delay in the trial.

Further, the Justice Kaur-led Bench said there was no question of considering Shah’s alternative plea for house arrest, given the serious allegations against him and the sensitivity and gravity of the issues involved.

Shah was arrested in June 2019 and is alleged to have played a significant role in establishing a separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir. He is also accused of ‘honouring’ the families of deceased terrorists, receiving funds through hawala transactions, and raising money via LoC trade to support subversive and militant activities. The NIA has claimed that several individuals accused of conspiring to raise funds to destabilise Kashmir and wage war against the Indian government were involved. Shah’s name was included in the second supplementary charge sheet filed by the NIA on 4 October 2019.

-IANS

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A multi-year investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has uncovered significant misuse of funds by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with millions of taxpayer dollars being diverted to terrorist organizations and fraudulent schemes.

According to the investigation, one of the most serious cases involved a Syrian national, Mahmoud Al Hafyan, who allegedly diverted over $9 million of USAID funds to the Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), a designated foreign terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq. USAID’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) called this case “one of the most significant diversions of USAID-funded humanitarian aid that USAID-OIG has investigated.”

Al Hafyan, who led a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Syria with 160 employees, was accused of selling food kits meant for refugees on the black market and funneling the proceeds to ANF commanders. The food aid, originally funded by U.S. taxpayers as part of a $12 billion humanitarian initiative in Syria, was meant for food and medical supplies distributed by UN agencies and NGOs. Instead, the NGO led by Al Hafyan received $122 million over three years, a portion of which was allegedly siphoned to ANF, a group responsible for mass executions, suicide bombings, and kidnappings.

“This defendant not only defrauded the U.S. government, but he also gave the humanitarian aid he stole to a foreign terrorist organization,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said in November. “While this foreign terrorist organization fought with the cruel al-Assad regime, the people who were supposed to receive the aid suffered.”

The investigation also uncovered other cases of USAID fraud and misuse of funds. A former executive of a digital consulting firm in Delaware agreed to pay a $100,000 settlement over allegations that employees knowingly submitted false claims to USAID to obtain government contracts and overbilled for non-existent work.

A global health nonprofit based in San Diego agreed to pay nearly $550,000 to settle allegations of submitting false claims to secure USAID grants meant for agricultural aid in developing countries.

In another case, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) agreed to a $6.9 million settlement under the False Claims Act for USAID-funded programming related to the Syrian civil war. The organization’s staff allegedly participated in a bid-rigging and kickback scheme involving a Turkish supply network.

A former NGO official was sentenced to 40 months in prison for bribing NGO officers in exchange for sensitive procurement information related to USAID-funded contracts. This Turkmenistan citizen allegedly orchestrated a bid-rigging scheme for five years, instructing employees to mislead law enforcement and destroy evidence.

Further investigations revealed that a former USAID deputy director from Maryland pleaded guilty to conspiracy, contract-steering fraud, and making false statements to law enforcement.

The revelations raise serious concerns about USAID’s oversight of taxpayer funds and its vulnerability to fraud and exploitation by terrorist organizations. Calls for stricter monitoring and accountability mechanisms have intensified, with experts urging a comprehensive review to prevent further misuse of U.S. foreign aid.

(With inputs from MSN)

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