The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday attached properties worth Rs 90 crore belonging to Young Indian — a company linked to Rahul and Sonia Gandhi — in connection with its investigation into the National Herald case.
The attached properties include the National Herald houses in Delhi and Mumbai as well as the Nehru Bhavan in Lucknow. The properties attached by the central probe agency are reported to be worth Rs 752 crore.
“ED has issued an order to provisionally attach properties worth Rs. 751.9 Crore in a money-laundering case investigated under the PMLA, 2002. Investigation revealed that M/s. Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL) is in possession of proceeds of crime in the form of immovable properties spread across many cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow to the tune of Rs. 661.69 Crore and M/s. Young Indian (YI) is in possession of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs. 90.21 Crore in the form of investment in equity shares of AJL,” the ED posted on X.
The statement added that a provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against the newspaper’s publisher Associated Journals Ltd. and its holding company Young Indian.
The case is based on a complaint filed by BJP’s Subramanian Swamy in a Delhi court in 2013. The allegations include cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited by Yong Indian Pvt Ltd. Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were granted bail in the case by the trial court in December 2015.
Rahul, Sonia and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge have already deposed before the ED in connection with probe into the case. Their statements have also been recorded.
As per Swamy’s complaint, Sonia, Rahul and others misappropriated funds by allegedly paying Rs 50 lakh for Young Indian to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to the Congress.