The Enforcement Directorate, on Wednesday, interrogated Sonia Gandhi, Congress chief, for the third time in the National Herald Case.
National Herald, published by the Associated Journals Limited, became the embouchure of the Congress after the independence.
AJL published two other newspapers, one in Hindi and Urdu. In 2008 the newspaper closed down with a debt of over Rs. 90 crores.
She was questioned by the ED for over three hours, in the money laundering case liked with the National Herald newspaper.
The officials said Sonia Gandhi was asked 100 questions in 11 hours, all along with the three rounds of interrogation. The first round of questioning Gandhi started on July 21, 2022.
Sonia Gandhi reached the investigation agency’s office in central Delhi at 11 am along with her daughter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and son Rahul Gandhi.
The session started around 11:15 am. The main investigation officer and a person who made notes out of Gandhi’s statement were present.
Sonia Gandhi left the ED office around 2 pm along with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who stayed back with her mother to give her assistance and medical care in need. She stayed back at the Parivartan Bhawan (ED headquarters).
The questions revolved around the irregularities in the young India Private Limited, promoted by the Congress, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
The Congress chief is understood to have stuck to the party’s position and there was no personal asset made in the Association Journals Limited (AJL)- Young India deal. Other official bearers, including the late Moti Lal Vora, handled the routine affairs.
The ED has questioned the two Congress leaders, Pawan Bansal and Mallikarjun Kharge before.
The officials informed that the meeting took place abiding by the Covid protocol guidelines and the meeting was being recorded in an audio-video mode.
Congress has criticized the agency’s action against its top leadership and illustrated it as “political vendetta” and “harassment”.
The Delhi police stationed a huge force, including CRPF ad RAF personnel. The area stretching from Sonia Gandhi’s house on Janpath to ED’s office was barricaded over kilometers. Restrictions were also imposed by the traffic department in the area, for the last two times.
Rahl Gandi was also interrogated by the ED, over the same case for 50 hours ranging from five days of questioning.
The moves of interrogating the Gandhis took place after the ED registered a fresh case under the criminal provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
This took place after a trial court spread awareness of an income tax department investigation against Young India, referring to the private criminal complaints by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, in 2013.
He said that the Gandhis were accused of cheating and conspiring inappropriate funds. They paid Rs. 50 lakhs to obtain the right to recover Rs. 90.25 crores that they owed to AJL.
Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul Gandhi are the majority shareholders and promoters of Young India. The Congress president to has a 38% shareholding in Young India.
The Delhi High Court issued notice to the Gandhis, in February, last year, seeking their response to Swamy’s appeal.
The Congress said that Young India is a “not-for-profit” company established under section 25 of the Companies Act. Hence there can be no wrongdoing and questions revolving around money laundering.
Rahul Gandhi, while answering before the ED, mentioned that there was no personal acquisition of assets by him or his family.
According to the ED’s investigation, the assets cost about Rs. 800 crores “owned” by the AJL. The federal agency has questioned how a non-profitable company like Young India undertakes the commercial activities of renting its land and building assets.
READ MORE: “Our party’s ideology is country’s ideology,”- Kiren Rijiju on Uniform Civil Code
