- National Herald case: ED attaches assets worth Rs 752 crore in a money-laundering probe
- 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, an ED official said on Tuesday
- ED sources said that among the list of properties attached by the agency are the National Herald House in Delhi, Nehru Bhavan in Lucknow, and the National Herald House in Mumbai.
- Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi for a fresh round of questioning.
- Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other senior Congress leaders have been questioned by the ED over the last few months in the case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth around Rs 752 crore in a money-laundering probe against the Congress-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper, prompting the party to allege “vendetta politics” by the Modi government to divert attention from certain defeat in the ongoing state elections.
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.
“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.
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 recorded his statement in a 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.
(With inputs from agencies)
