The Delhi Police has filed a fresh first information report against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on the basis of a money-laundering investigation by the Enforcement Directorate related to the National Herald newspaper, PTI reported on Sunday.
The move comes six months after the agency submitted a chargesheet naming the two leaders and five others in connection with the case.
According to the complaint lodged on October 3 by Enforcement Directorate Assistant Director Shiv Kumar Gupta, government properties originally allotted to Associated Journals Limited at concessional rates for public welfare activities were allegedly “diverted for personal gain”, The Indian Express reported.
The FIR invokes sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to cheating, criminal conspiracy, dishonest misappropriation of property and criminal breach of trust.
It names Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise Private Limited, its promoter Sunil Bhandari, Associated Journals Limited and other unidentified persons, The Indian Express reported.
The Enforcement Directorate alleges that the case concerns a “serious form of criminal conspiracy and financial fraud”, asserting that Young Indian, which is owned by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, fraudulently took control of Associated Journals Limited properties worth more than Rs 2,000 crore for a “paltry sum” of only Rs 50 lakh.
“The accused persons have exploited these assets by engaging in fraudulent activities such as collecting bogus rents or generating fake revenue through sham advertisements, thereby laundering illicit money under the guise of legitimate transactions,” the newspaper quoted the complaint as saying
The Economic Offences Wing registered the FIR based on the Enforcement Directorate's request under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which allows the agency to share evidence to enable registration of predicate offences, PTI reported.
The Congress criticised the FIR, accusing the Union government of “mischievous politics”.
In a statement on X, party leader Jairam Ramesh said the “Modi-Shah duo is continuing with its mischievous politics of harassment, intimidation, and vendetta against the top leadership of the INC”.
“Those who threaten are themselves insecure and afraid,” he said on social media. “The National Herald matter is a completely bogus case. Justice will ultimately triumph.”
The allegations
In April 2008, the National Herald, which was founded and edited by Jawaharlal Nehru before he became India’s first prime minister, suspended operations as it had incurred a debt of over Rs 90 crore.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint against the newspaper in 2012, alleging that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi set up Young Indian to buy the debt using the funds from the party.
Swamy alleged that Young Indian paid only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.2 crore that the Associated Journals Limited owed to the Congress.
The Congress has claimed that there was no money exchange, and that only debt was converted into equity to pay off certain dues including employee salaries.
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