National Herald case: Days after quizzing Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, ED raids Herald House, other locations

New Delhi: Days after questioning Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi in money laundering case related to National Herald newspaper, the Enforcement Directorate, on Tuesday, carried out raids at multiple locations in Delhi and other places.

According to Hindustan Times, as many as 14 locations including the head office of the Congress party-owned National Herald newspaper are being searched by the ED as part of an ongoing money laundering probe.

A report by news agency PTI mentioned officials saying that the searches are being conducted under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to "gather additional evidences with regard to the trail of funds".

ED also carried out search at the 'Herald House' office situated at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, ITO in central Delhi. The address is registered in the name of Associated Journals Ltd which publishes the newspaper.

What is the National Herald case?

In 2013, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had filed a private complaint before a trial court in Delhi, alleging cheating and misappropriation of funds by the Gandhi family during the acquisition of the National Herald newspaper. He alleged that the Gandhis had acquired properties owned by National Herald, purchasing over the newspaper’s erstwhile publishers through Young Indian Pvt Limited (YIL), in which they have an 86 per cent stake.

In the complaint, Sonia, Rahul and others have been accused of misappropriating funds by paying Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian had obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that the publisher of the newspaper - The Associated Journals (AJL) - owed to the Congress. As per the complaint, the loan given to AJL was "illegal", as it had been taken from funds of the party.

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Swamy also alleged that Young Indian, which has both Sonia and Rahul on its board of directors, had “taken over” the defunct media organisation in a “malicious” to make profits and gain assets to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore.

Congress' leaders Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, journalist Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda were also named in the National Herald case.

The case to investigate alleged financial irregularities under the PMLA was registered about nine months ago after the trial court in Delhi took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by Swamy in 2013.

With inputs from agencies

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