‘They Called Me Gold Digger…’: What Nora Fatehi Told Court In Defamation Case Against Jacqueline

Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi on Monday recorded her statement in the defamation case filed by her against actor Jacqueline Fernandez at Delhi’s Patiala House Court.

In her statement, Fatehi claimed that she was made a ‘scapegoat’ in a money laundering case against conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, and she has nothing to do with the people involved in the case.

“They have called me a gold digger and accused me of having a relationship with a con artist (Sukesh Chandrasekhar) and included my name in an ongoing criminal case to divert attention away from them,” the actor said.

Notably, Jacqueline Fernandez is an alleged accused in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case lodged against Chandrasekhar by Enforcement Directorate (ED). In the extortion case against Chandrashekar, Nora Fatehi and Chahatt Khanna are witnesses and the case is being probed by Delhi Police.

Fatehi recorded her statement under 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) before the magistrate.

She claimed that involvement of her name in the case caused her a loss of work opportunities and reputation, and gave her mental health issues.

“The reason why I’m filing this case is that the ongoing ED case involving con artist Sukesh, with which I have nothing to do, neither do I know these people,” Fatehi said.

“I was called at an event as a chief guest. I have been made a scapegoat in this case in the media, to safeguard certain people’s image, because I am an outsider and I’m alone in this country,” she added.

The actress further said she wants compensation for all damage done to her “career and reputation, which I’ve built relentlessly over the last eight years.”

On December 12 last year, Nora Fatehi, a person of interest in the money laundering case against Sukesh Chandrasekhar, had filed a defamation suit against Jacqueline, who is also allegedly involved in the case.

In her petition, Fatehi had claimed that her rival actor and the media organisations “were acting in connivance with each other”.

“A conspiracy by the accused No. 1 (Jacqueline Fernandez) to ensure the financial, social, and personal downfall of the complainant was hatched, and enacted by the said action,” Fatehi’s petition said.