Roopa S
Published on: 01st June, 2022 at 19:34 IST
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday issued summons to Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi and her son parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi to reportedly seek their statements in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper owned and run by Congress party.
Rahul Gandhi has been summoned to appear on June 2, while Sonia Gandhi has to appeal on June 8.
The Summons by the ED is linked to a 9-year old complaint by Subramanian Swamy against the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi of forming a shell company and illegally gaining control of properties worth $300 million.
Swamy had alleged that, ‘Sonia, Rahul and others had conspired to cheat and misappropriate funds available with Young Indian Pvt Ltd. They were accused of paying only ₹50 lakh, but obtained the right to recover ₹90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress.’
It has been alleged that there was misappropriation of assets of over ₹2,000 crore in an equity transaction.
Last February, Gandhis had told the Delhi High Court that Swamy’s allegations were “misconceived and premature”.
The ED case pertains to financial irregularities which is suspected to have been committed in the Congress-promoted Young India Private Limited that owns National Herald newspaper. The broadsheet newspaper was published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL).
The Gandhis are promoters of Young India and the investigating agency had registered a fresh case against the Gandhis, Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda under the PMLA following a trial court taking cognizance of an Income-Tax department probe against Young India based on a private criminal complaint filed in 2013 by the BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.
The ED had questioned veteran Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal last month. Subsequent to Kharge’s grilling, the Congress’ whip in the Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore, charged the government of “harassing” him.
The trial in the criminal case is ongoing before a Delhi court.