The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.
Congress Overseas chief Sam Pitroda has also been named in the alleged National Herald money laundering case.
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According to news agency ANI, a prosecution complaint has been filed under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, for the commission of the offence of money laundering, as defined under Section 3, read with Section 70, and punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA, 2002.
The case centers on alleged financial irregularities involving Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and Young Indian Private Limited (YIL), a company in which the Gandhis are majority shareholders.
The ED’s investigation, initiated in 2021, is based on a 2014 complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. The complaint alleges that Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, were involved in a criminal conspiracy to misappropriate assets worth over Rs 2,000 crore belonging to AJL. It is claimed that YIL acquired AJL’s assets through fraudulent means.
On April 12, the of immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore in connection with the case. These assets include Herald House in Delhi, a building in Mumbai’s Bandra area, and another in Lucknow.
These properties were previously attached by the ED in November 2023 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and the attachment was confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority in April 2024.
The ED has accused the Gandhis of criminal conspiracy and misappropriation of funds in acquiring AJL’s assets through YIL. The agency alleges that YIL and AJL properties were used to generate additional proceeds of crime through bogus donations, fabricated advance rent, and fake advertisements.
The Congress party has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the acquisition was part of a plan to revive the National Herald newspaper. The case has been a point of contention, with the Congress terming the investigation as “petty vendetta tactics” and dubbing the ED a “coalition partner” of the BJP.