Prima facie case against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi made out, Enforcement Directorate told a Delhi court in National Herald case on 21 May, news agency PTI reported. The mother-son duo enjoyed ₹142 crore in proceeds of crime, the agency told the court.
The ED made the submission before special judge Vishal Gogne during the opening submissions on whether to take cognisance of the matter.
The judge directed the ED to supply a copy of its chargesheet in the matter to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, based on whose private complaint the ED lodged the present case.
The judge adjourned the matter after part hearing of ED’s submissions. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate, told the Delhi Court that Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, got ₹142 crores as proceeds of crime in the National Herald Money Laundering matter.
Sonia and Rahul are accused 1 and 2 in the case. The ED, which filed its chargesheet recently, began its probe in 2021 after a magistrate court took cognisance of a private complaint filed by Swamy on June 26, 2014.
The agency had filed a chargesheet naming Sonia and Rahul in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper, news agency PTI reported on April 15.
The two leaders have been named as accused number and number 2 in the chargesheet. This the first time a chargesheet qas filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in any case.
The central investigation agency has filed a prosecution complaint in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court against Congress Members of Parliament Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda in the alleged National Herald money laundering case, news agency ANI said.
Both Sonia and Rahul have been questioned as part of the probe before
Rahul Gandhi, was last questioned by ED in the case in June 2022. His mother Sonia Gandhi was also questioned about her role in the day-to-day functioning of Young Indian Private Limited (YIL). The mother-son duo were questioned about the ownership of YIL by the Gandhi family and its shareholding pattern in Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that runs the National Herald newspaper.
ED began its probe in the National Herald case after Swamy filed a complaint in 2014, accusing Sonia, Rahul and other senior Congress leaders of taking over AJL properties for a mere sum of ₹50 lakh. The properties areworth over ₹2,000 crore.
The National Herald is published by AJL, which is owned by YIL . Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each hold a 38 per cent stake in Young Indian, making them its majority shareholders.
On April 12, ED served notices to take possession of immovable assets worth ₹661 crore — in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow — that it had attached as part of a money laundering probe linked to National Herald newspaper and Associated Journals Limited (AJL).
The ED had attached these properties earlier by issuing a provisional attachment order in a PMLA case against AJL.
(With agency inputs)
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