Did Rana Ayyub siphon off COVID-19 donations? The money laundering case against the journalist

Journalist Rana Ayyub has found herself in trouble. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against her under the anti-money-laundering law, alleging that she utilised publicly raised funds of Rs 2.69 crore for herself and also contravened the foreign contribution law.

The journalist, who was in the United States at the time of the chargesheet, tweeted, “My pen can never be silenced.” In her tweet, she wrote: “My pen can never be silenced. Ironic that I conducted a seminar yesterday, here in the US, on the attack on the free press in India. I will continue to raise my voice against the persecution of the marginalised in the country. My statement. All I have to say.”

My pen can NEVER be silenced. Ironic that I conducted a seminar yesterday, here in the US, on the attack on the free press in India. I will continue to raise my voice against the persecution of the marginalised in the country. My statement. All i have to say pic.twitter.com/5q4Hnzkx56

— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) October 13, 2022

So, what exactly is the case against Ayyub? What has the Enforcement Directorate charged her with? We examine the matter and give you all the answers.

The case against Rana Ayyub

The chargesheet against Rana Ayyub comes on the basis of an FIR filed against her at the Indirapuram police station, Ghaziabad, on 7 September 2021, in connection with her fundraising campaigns.

The FIR had been filed by a group named ‘Hindu IT Cell’ on allegations of money laundering, cheating, dishonest misappropriation of property, and criminal breach of trust.

Based on the FIR, the Enforcement Directorate began its investigations and has now filed their chargesheet. In their chargesheet, the ED has said that Rana had launched three fundraiser charity campaigns on the ‘Ketto platform’ starting from April 2020 and collected funds totalling Rs 2,69,44,680. Of this, only about Rs 29 lakh was used for relief work, whereas the remaining amount was used by the journalist for personal reasons.

ED authorities also added that the journalist had received foreign contributions without registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).

ED investigation has established that Rana Ayyub had launched the aforesaid campaigns with the sole intention to cheat the general public

The ED investigations revealed that Rana Ayyub had begun three crowdfunding campaigns — one to raise funds for slum dwellers and farmers, another for relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra and the third to help those impacted by COVID-19 in India.

The authorities in their chargesheet stated that the funds raised were received in accounts of her father and sister and then transferred to her personal account. They added that the journalist then used the funds to create a fixed deposit of Rs 50 lakh for herself and also transferred Rs 50 lakh in a new bank account.

“In order to claim more expenses towards relief work, fake bills were submitted by Rana Ayyub,” the ED said.

The central agency was also quoted as saying, “ED investigation has established that Rana Ayyub had launched the aforesaid campaigns with the sole intention to cheat the general public and acquired Proceeds of Crime in the form of FD and balances in bank accounts projecting them as untainted.”

An IndiaToday report citing sources in the ED stated that part of the money that Rana Ayyub received as donations was used for personal expenses, including a vacation. The sources also added that she was unable to explain a few expenditures.

Also read: Why Western media loves and promotes the likes of Rana Ayyub

Rana Ayyub’s defence

During the course of investigations, Rana Ayyub has refuted all claims of wrongdoing and money laundering.

On allegations about the money being transferred to her father’s account, she had said that to start the fundraiser, the online platform Ketto.org asked her for details of two bank accounts where donations could be transferred.

Ayyub said that she had given her father and sister’s accounts to Ketto as details of her account could not be given at the time. Additionally, on allegations of violating the FCRA, she had said that her bank statements showed that there were no such donations, and in case such donations were made, Ketto had returned them.

She had said that such allegations were preposterous, wholly mala fide and belied by record, and was a deliberate misreading of my bank statements.

In support of Rana Ayyub

The journalist, who is a staunch critic of the Narendra Modi government, has alleged that the ED case against her was a “smear campaign”.

Nobel Peace laureate Maria Ressa had come out in support of Ayyub and said that the “attacks” against the Indian journalist were “too familiar” for her.”

With inputs from agencies

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