The High Court has granted bail to Mohammed Suhail in connection with a money laundering case probed by the Goa Directorate of Enforcement (ED), observing that his continued pre-trial detention was unwarranted given the delay in the commencement of trial. Suhail, who was lodged in judicial custody at the Colvale Central Jail, had been in prison for nearly 13 months following his arrest on September 22, 2025.

​The money laundering case stems from a predicate offence registered by the Crime Branch. In the primary FIR, Suhail was named as a co-accused alongside two others for alleged offences including cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.

​According to the ED, the accused Mohammed Suhail used forged death certificates of the complainant’s parents and a fabricated birth certificate of the complainant to execute an illegal succession deed before the Civil Registrar in Pernem, back in January 2010. Subsequently, using a forged power of attorney, the property was sold without the rightful owner's consent.

​The Special Court in Panaji had earlier rejected Suhail's bail application on July 30, 2026.

​Defence Counsel representing the accused Mohammed Suhail, argued that he had already secured bail in the predicate offence and had spent nearly 13 months behind bars under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The defense highlighted that the maximum sentence prescribed under the PMLA is seven years, yet the trial has not commenced, and the ED has cited 31 witnesses, meaning proceedings would take substantial time.

​The ED opposed the plea, arguing that bail in the predicate offence did not automatically entitle the accused to relief under PMLA and that the agency had not sought adjournments and was prepared to proceed with the trial.

​But, granting bail to accused Suhail, the High Court emphasized that statutory restrictions cannot result in indefinite pre-trial detention in violation of ARight to Speedy Trial granted under the Constitution.

​Noting that 31 witnesses remain to be examined, the trial is unlikely to conclude soon, and the ED had raised no apprehension of the accused being a flight risk, the High Court ruled that further incarceration is not justified.

​The High Court directed Suhail’s release upon furnishing a personal bond of ₹1,00,000 with one solvent surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of the Trial Court.