The Enforcement Directorate has issued notices seeking possession of immovable assets linked to senior Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. The probe agency said it had sought vacation of premises in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow after attaching properties worth Rs 661 crore in the National Herald money laundering case.
The federal probe agency said in a statement that it has affixed these notices at the Herald House located in Delhi at ITO, at the premises in Bandra area of Mumbai and the Associated Journals Limited building located at Bisheshwar Nath Road in Lucknow on Friday. The notices seek vacation of the premises or transfer of rent (in the case of the Mumbai asset) to the ED.
The case pertains to allegations of financial irregularities and misappropriation of funds pertaining to the acquision of Associated Journals by Young Indian. The original complaint was filed by former BJP MP Subramanian Swamy and alleged that YIL had taken over the assets in a ‘malicious’ bid to acquire properties worth more than Rs 2000 crore.
The National Herald is published by AJL and owned by Young Indian Private Limited. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders of Young Indian — each holding 38%.
“Young Indian and AJL properties were used for generation of further proceeds of crime in the form of bogus donations to the tune of Rs 18 crore, bogus advance rent to the tune of Rs 38 crore and bogus advertisements of Rs 29 crore,” the central agency alleged in its latest notice.
The Ed had provisionally attached properties in the three cities as well as AJL shares worth Rs 90.2 crore in November 2023. The same attachment was confirmed on April 10. A separate notice was sent to Jindal South West Projects — who currently occupy three floors of Herald House in Mumbai — directing them to deposit all future rent payments with the central agency.
(With inputs from agencies)