The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed serious chargesheet against top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection with the National Herald money laundering case. The case has now reached a critical stage, as the court of Special Judge Vishal Gogne will take it up for hearing on April 25.
According to the ED, Sonia Gandhi is listed as Accused No. 1 and Rahul Gandhi as Accused No. 2 in the chargesheet filed on April 9. The agency has also named other Congress-linked individuals, including Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and Sunil Bhandari of Dotex Merchandise Private Limited. Two companies, Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise, have also been accused.
The ED has charged all of them under multiple sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), including sections that deal with corporate offences and the role of company executives. If found guilty, the accused may face up to seven years in jail under Section 4 of the PMLA.
The ED investigation found that the Congress leadership used a fake loan strategy to take over the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), an unlisted company that once published the National Herald newspaper. AJL owns property worth over Rs 2,000 crore. The ED says the assets were taken over illegally through a private company, Young Indian, which is mostly controlled by the Gandhis.
The chargesheet reveals that 99% of AJL’s shares were transferred to Young Indian for just Rs 50 lakh. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each hold a 38% stake in Young Indian. The remaining 24% was held by Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, both close aides of the Gandhis who are now deceased.
The ED claims that the Congress party gave a loan of Rs 90.21 crore to AJL, and later turned it into equity shares worth just Rs 9.02 crore. These shares were then handed over to Young Indian. Through this process, the Gandhis allegedly gained full control over AJL’s massive properties across India without paying the actual value.
Though Young Indian was registered as a not-for-profit company under Section 25 of the Companies Act, the ED states that it never carried out any charitable work. Financial records show no spending on any social service, which raises doubts about the true purpose of the company.
In support of its case, the ED has used a 2017 Income Tax assessment that found Young Indian evaded taxes of over Rs 414 crore by acquiring AJL’s assets in an illegal manner. The investigation began after BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filed a complaint in 2012, which was accepted by a Delhi court in 2014.
This chargesheet is a big blow to the Congress party, especially when its top leaders are directly facing accusations of financial fraud and criminal conspiracy. The ED has clearly laid out a detailed chain of events showing how public assets were allegedly misused for personal control. The court’s next move on April 25 will be watched closely.
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