Delhi Police files FIR against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi on ED complaint in National Herald case

Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and other accused in the National Herald case on an ED complaint as part of the agency’s money laundering probe in the high-profile case, alleging that the party’s first family “misused” their position for personal gain.

Official sources said the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police filed a complaint against the Gandhi family and seven others on October 3.

The police have charged the Gandhi family, Congress leaders Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda, Young Indians (YI) and Dotex Merchandise Ltd, Dotex promoter Sunil Bhandari, Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and name of unknown. Other.

These entities have also been named as accused (except unidentified others) in the ED’s charge sheet filed before a Delhi court in April. The court has not yet taken cognizance of this and the next date of hearing has been fixed for December 16.

The Congress party had earlier called the investigation an “OT revenge strategy” and termed the ED as an “alliance partner” of the BJP.

According to sources, the ED used powers available under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to register the police FIR. This section allows the federal agency to share evidence for registration of a criminal predicate offense by a law enforcement agency so that it can later register a money laundering case to further the investigation.

Sources said the FIR will serve to strengthen the ED case and the chargesheet, which stems from the order of the court – the Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi – which took cognizance of a private complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on June 26, 2014, against alleged irregularities in the affairs of National Herald.

The FIR takes cognizance of the allegations made by the ED in a letter sent to the EOW on September 4. The contents of the ED communication are the same as what the central agency has said in its charge sheet.

The ED in its charge sheet had alleged that a ‘criminal conspiracy’ was hatched by several prominent political figures, including the first family of the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress party, her MP son Rahul Gandhi besides late Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes and Dubey, Pitroda and a private company, Young Indian, in a money laundering scheme related to the fraudulent acquisition of properties worth over Rs 2,000 crore belonging to AJL. Were included.

AJL is the publisher of National Herald news platform (newspaper and web portal) and is owned by Young Indian Private Limited.

Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are the majority shareholders of Young Indian and each hold 38 per cent shares. A few years ago, ED had interrogated him for hours in this case. The ED claimed that its investigation has ‘conclusively’ found that Young Indian, a private company beneficially owned by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, acquired AJL assets worth Rs 2,000 crore for just Rs 50 lakh, which significantly undervalues ​​its value.

It is understood that the charge sheet alleges that Sonia Gandhi “misused” her position as former AICC president for personal gain of herself and her son Rahul Gandhi by diverting public funds for her own use through the Young Indian (YI) Company. PTI NES DV DV

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