National Herald case: Sonia Gandhi arrives at ED workplace for questioning; Delhi Police steps up safety
11 min readBy PTI
NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday appeared earlier than the Enforcement Directorate (ED) right here for her questioning within the National Herald cash laundering case.
Gandhi, 75, arrived on the federal probe company’s headquarters positioned at Vidyut Lane flanking A P J Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi a bit of after midday escorted by her Z+ class CRPF safety cowl.
Gandhi, who was recognized with Covid just lately, was seen carrying a masks and was accompanied by her kids Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.
Priyanka Gandhi might be allowed to remain within the ‘Pravartan Bhawan’ headquarters of the company, away from the questioning room, in order that in case of a well being challenge she could be along with her mom and supply her medicines.
Ahead of her look, the Delhi Police deployed an enormous pressure and barricaded your complete over 1 km stretch between Gandhi’s residence on Akbar Road-Janpath and the ED workplace whilst site visitors restrictions have been enforced across the space.
The social gathering has slammed the company’s motion in opposition to its prime management and referred to as it a “political vendetta”.
The Congress chief is deposing on the third summons as she sought exemption on earlier dates of June 8 and June 23 owing to coronavirus an infection.
Congress MPs protesting in help of Congress President Sonia Gandhi earlier than her look in ED at Parliament House in New Delhi on Thursday. (Photo | Shekhar Yadav/EPS)
Her assertion might be recorded by the company underneath felony sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and it is going to be even be taped in an audio-video mode.
The company, based on sources, will give her an choice to both write down or dictate her solutions to an ED staffer over pc, who might be current together with the investigating officer of the case.
The probe pertains to alleged monetary irregularities within the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
Tight safety preparations outdoors the ED workplace the place Congress President Sonia Gandhi is about to look in reference to the National Herald case. (Photo | PTI)
Her son and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been questioned by the company within the case for over 50 hours in classes unfold throughout 5 days final month.
The questioning might be carried out holding in thoughts Covid protocols and the session might be carried out by the identical assistant director-level investigation officer who questioned Rahul Gandhi.
The questioning workforce may even have a girl officer and all of them have obtained ‘covid destructive’ certificates with a purpose to take part within the session, sources mentioned.
The transfer to query the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late final 12 months registered a recent case underneath the felony provisions of the PMLA after a trial court docket right here took cognisance of an Income tax division probe in opposition to Young Indian on the idea of a non-public felony grievance filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the many promoters and majority shareholders of Young Indian.
Like her son, the Congress president too has 38 per cent shareholding.
Swamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with YI paying solely Rs 50 lakh to acquire the correct to get well Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to Congress.
In February final 12 months, the Delhi High Court issued a discover to the Gandhis for his or her response on Swamy’s plea, looking for to steer proof within the matter earlier than the trial court docket.
Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal had been questioned by the ED on this case in April.
The Congress social gathering has maintained that there was no wrongdoing and that Young Indian is a “not-for-profit” firm established underneath part 25 of the Companies Act and therefore there could be no query of cash laundering.
It is known that Rahul Gandhi, throughout his deposition earlier than the ED, caught to the place that there was no private acquisition of property by himself or his household as Young Indian was a “not-for-profit” firm and that regardless of he being a majority shareholder numerous monetary selections taken to revive the National Herald newspaper was taken collectively by senior Congress social gathering leaders.
The ED, sources mentioned, wished to know how the mortgage was prolonged to AJL by the Congress social gathering and if the provisions of the Companies Act and the anti-money laundering legislation had been contravened on this AJL-Congress-Young Indian deal.
The ED says that property value about Rs 800 crore are “owned” by the AJL and it desires to know from the Gandhis how a not-for-profit firm like Young Indian was endeavor business actions of renting out its land and constructing property.
A mortgage of Rs one crore taken by YI from a Kolkata-based firm in February 2011 can be underneath the scanner of the ED.
Congress MPs protesting in help of Congress President Sonia Gandhi earlier than her look in ED at Parliament House in New Delhi on Thursday. (Photo | Shekhar Yadav/EPS)
The social gathering had mentioned AJL, which was established in 1937, confronted large money owed and the Congress, from 2002 to 2011, gave Rs 90 crore to the National Herald newspaper, out of which Rs 66 crore was used to pay salaries/VRS of journalists and staffers who labored there.
The social gathering additionally slammed the Modi authorities for “misusing” probe companies in opposition to opposition leaders and staged protests.
Senior Congress chief and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the ED motion of calling Sonia for questioning and mentioned the probe company ought to first maintain a press convention to spell out underneath what fees she is being probed.
“I condemn the ED action of calling Sonia Gandhi for questioning,” he informed reporters at a press convention.
“The ED should have gone to her residence to take her responses to their questions,” he mentioned, citing previous precedents, including that that is being completed to harass her.
Referring to the questioning of Rahul Gandhi earlier, Gehlot mentioned by no means has anybody questioned a pacesetter for 5 days in a row and lengthy hours of questioning.
“Their aim is to demoralise and create problems,” he alleged.
Gehlot mentioned this motion comes after the Udaipur declaration of the Congress social gathering, which obtained a really encouraging response from the general public.
Earlier, Congress chief Jairam Ramesh claimed the media was additionally being prevented from getting into the Congress headquarters.
“From the early hours of this morning the Delhi Police, obviously taking orders from the Union Home Minister, is preventing the media from entering the Congress party headquarters. This high-handedness was only to be expected and reflects the mindset of the Modi Sarkar,” Ramesh mentioned on Twitter.
He additionally mentioned that the ED motion comes to forestall Congress from elevating problems with the general public like worth rise and unemployment, which they may proceed.
The Congress has organised protests within the nationwide capital and throughout the nation.
Gehlot alleged that there are two legal guidelines in India with one for the BJP and one for the opposition.
He additionally alleged that the world across the Congress headquarters right here has been was a police cantonment and nobody is being allowed entry.
“They consider the opposition as their enemies and the target is to make the country opposition-free. Earlier their slogan was to make it ‘Congress-mukt’,” he mentioned, alleging that the nation is headed in direction of such occasions that each one Indians needs to be apprehensive.
Gehlot additionally claimed that the ED is being utilized by the ruling BJP as a “big weapon to bring down governments of opposition”.
“There can’t be anything more cheap and shameful than this,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the ED has made 1,700 raids and their conviction price is 0.5 per cent as due processes and never adopted.
The Rajasthan chief minister mentioned he wished to fulfill the heads of the IT, CBI, ED and CBDT chairman because the credibility of those probe companies within the eyes of the general public goes down.
NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday appeared earlier than the Enforcement Directorate (ED) right here for her questioning within the National Herald cash laundering case.
Gandhi, 75, arrived on the federal probe company’s headquarters positioned at Vidyut Lane flanking A P J Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi a bit of after midday escorted by her Z+ class CRPF safety cowl.
Gandhi, who was recognized with Covid just lately, was seen carrying a masks and was accompanied by her kids Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.
Priyanka Gandhi might be allowed to remain within the ‘Pravartan Bhawan’ headquarters of the company, away from the questioning room, in order that in case of a well being challenge she could be along with her mom and supply her medicines.
Ahead of her look, the Delhi Police deployed an enormous pressure and barricaded your complete over 1 km stretch between Gandhi’s residence on Akbar Road-Janpath and the ED workplace whilst site visitors restrictions have been enforced across the space.
The social gathering has slammed the company’s motion in opposition to its prime management and referred to as it a “political vendetta”.
The Congress chief is deposing on the third summons as she sought exemption on earlier dates of June 8 and June 23 owing to coronavirus an infection.
Congress MPs protesting in help of Congress President Sonia Gandhi earlier than her look in ED at Parliament House in New Delhi on Thursday. (Photo | Shekhar Yadav/EPS)
Her assertion might be recorded by the company underneath felony sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and it is going to be even be taped in an audio-video mode.
The company, based on sources, will give her an choice to both write down or dictate her solutions to an ED staffer over pc, who might be current together with the investigating officer of the case.
The probe pertains to alleged monetary irregularities within the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
Tight safety preparations outdoors the ED workplace the place Congress President Sonia Gandhi is about to look in reference to the National Herald case. (Photo | PTI)
Her son and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been questioned by the company within the case for over 50 hours in classes unfold throughout 5 days final month.
The questioning might be carried out holding in thoughts Covid protocols and the session might be carried out by the identical assistant director-level investigation officer who questioned Rahul Gandhi.
The questioning workforce may even have a girl officer and all of them have obtained ‘covid destructive’ certificates with a purpose to take part within the session, sources mentioned.
The transfer to query the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late final 12 months registered a recent case underneath the felony provisions of the PMLA after a trial court docket right here took cognisance of an Income tax division probe in opposition to Young Indian on the idea of a non-public felony grievance filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the many promoters and majority shareholders of Young Indian.
Like her son, the Congress president too has 38 per cent shareholding.
Swamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with YI paying solely Rs 50 lakh to acquire the correct to get well Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to Congress.
In February final 12 months, the Delhi High Court issued a discover to the Gandhis for his or her response on Swamy’s plea, looking for to steer proof within the matter earlier than the trial court docket.
Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal had been questioned by the ED on this case in April.
The Congress social gathering has maintained that there was no wrongdoing and that Young Indian is a “not-for-profit” firm established underneath part 25 of the Companies Act and therefore there could be no query of cash laundering.
It is known that Rahul Gandhi, throughout his deposition earlier than the ED, caught to the place that there was no private acquisition of property by himself or his household as Young Indian was a “not-for-profit” firm and that regardless of he being a majority shareholder numerous monetary selections taken to revive the National Herald newspaper was taken collectively by senior Congress social gathering leaders.
The ED, sources mentioned, wished to know how the mortgage was prolonged to AJL by the Congress social gathering and if the provisions of the Companies Act and the anti-money laundering legislation had been contravened on this AJL-Congress-Young Indian deal.
The ED says that property value about Rs 800 crore are “owned” by the AJL and it desires to know from the Gandhis how a not-for-profit firm like Young Indian was endeavor business actions of renting out its land and constructing property.
A mortgage of Rs one crore taken by YI from a Kolkata-based firm in February 2011 can be underneath the scanner of the ED.
Congress MPs protesting in help of Congress President Sonia Gandhi earlier than her look in ED at Parliament House in New Delhi on Thursday. (Photo | Shekhar Yadav/EPS)
The social gathering had mentioned AJL, which was established in 1937, confronted large money owed and the Congress, from 2002 to 2011, gave Rs 90 crore to the National Herald newspaper, out of which Rs 66 crore was used to pay salaries/VRS of journalists and staffers who labored there.
The social gathering additionally slammed the Modi authorities for “misusing” probe companies in opposition to opposition leaders and staged protests.
Senior Congress chief and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the ED motion of calling Sonia for questioning and mentioned the probe company ought to first maintain a press convention to spell out underneath what fees she is being probed.
“I condemn the ED action of calling Sonia Gandhi for questioning,” he informed reporters at a press convention.
“The ED should have gone to her residence to take her responses to their questions,” he mentioned, citing previous precedents, including that that is being completed to harass her.
Referring to the questioning of Rahul Gandhi earlier, Gehlot mentioned by no means has anybody questioned a pacesetter for 5 days in a row and lengthy hours of questioning.
“Their aim is to demoralise and create problems,” he alleged.
Gehlot mentioned this motion comes after the Udaipur declaration of the Congress social gathering, which obtained a really encouraging response from the general public.
Earlier, Congress chief Jairam Ramesh claimed the media was additionally being prevented from getting into the Congress headquarters.
“From the early hours of this morning the Delhi Police, obviously taking orders from the Union Home Minister, is preventing the media from entering the Congress party headquarters. This high-handedness was only to be expected and reflects the mindset of the Modi Sarkar,” Ramesh mentioned on Twitter.
He additionally mentioned that the ED motion comes to forestall Congress from elevating problems with the general public like worth rise and unemployment, which they may proceed.
The Congress has organised protests within the nationwide capital and throughout the nation.
Gehlot alleged that there are two legal guidelines in India with one for the BJP and one for the opposition.
He additionally alleged that the world across the Congress headquarters right here has been was a police cantonment and nobody is being allowed entry.
“They consider the opposition as their enemies and the target is to make the country opposition-free. Earlier their slogan was to make it ‘Congress-mukt’,” he mentioned, alleging that the nation is headed in direction of such occasions that each one Indians needs to be apprehensive.
Gehlot additionally claimed that the ED is being utilized by the ruling BJP as a “big weapon to bring down governments of opposition”.
“There can’t be anything more cheap and shameful than this,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the ED has made 1,700 raids and their conviction price is 0.5 per cent as due processes and never adopted.
The Rajasthan chief minister mentioned he wished to fulfill the heads of the IT, CBI, ED and CBDT chairman because the credibility of those probe companies within the eyes of the general public goes down.
