National Herald case: ED attaches properties worth Rs 752 crore in big jolt to Gandhis
National Herald case: ED attaches properties worth Rs 752 crore in big jolt to Gandhis
The Enforcement Directorate's action against the Congress party-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper came at a time when Congress was accusing BJP of using ED against rivals in the election season.
Image Source : FILE ED attaches properties worth Rs 752 crore in big jolt to Gandhis
Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it has provisionally attached properties worth Rs 751.9 crore in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald case.
"During the probe of the case it was found that Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL) is in possession of proceeds of crime in the form of immovable properties spread across many cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow to the tune of Rs. 661.69 Crore and Young Indian (YI) is in possession of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs. 90.21 Crore in the form of investment in equity shares of AJL, adds Enforcement Directorate (ED)," the ED said in a statement.
A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against the newspaper's publisher Associated Journals Ltd. and its holding company Young Indian, the central probe agency said in a statement.
National Herald case: DK Shivakumar appears before ED again
Earlier in another development in the case, Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi for a fresh round of questioning in the National Herald case.
This is the second time that the federal agency is recording his statement in the case that has been registered under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The 60-year-old former Karnataka cabinet minister told reporters he has furnished all documents sought by the agency in connection with the probe and that he had to depose again despite seeking a three-week deferment of the summons.
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal have been questioned by the ED over the last few months in the National Herald money laundering case.
The Gandhis are the majority shareholders of Young Indian. In May this year, the agency filed a charge sheet against him and some others linked to him in this case.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary, the late Ahmed Patel, had fought the Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat in 2017 and Shivakumar had hosted 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs at the resort to keep the flock together.
