The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Wednesda summoned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi as well as Rahul Gandhi. In the money laundering case linked in addition to running of the National Herald newspaper. It is owned and run by the Congress party, according to news agency PTI.
The I-T probe against the Congress leaders arose from the investigation into a private criminal complaint. It was filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy before a trial court in Delhi in 2013. The complaint had alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds on part of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Swami had alleged that the Gandhis acquired properties owned by National Herald. They bought over the newspaper’s erstwhile publishers through Young Indian in which they have an 86 per cent stake.
National Herald case
The National Herald case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of assets of over 2,000 crore in an equity transaction.
The notice to the Gandhis has been served a few days ago. In April, the ED questioned former Union minister Pawan Bansal. Pawan Bansal is a senior Congress leader in connection with the money laundering probe into the National Herald case.
Accusations of cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited (AJL). It ran the Congress mouthpiece, National Herald, by Young Indian Pvt Ltd have been levelled in the case.
The IT department had said that Gandhi had shares of YI. Even when he filed his income tax return (ITR) in 2011 he was holding its shares. Despite this, Rahul Gandhi did not show that he was having shares of YI in his ITR.
The IT department had accused Gandhi of knowingly hiding the fact. Further he was having shares of YI and was holding the post of director.
The All India Congress Committee gave a loan of Rs 90.21 crore to AJL moreover it was later transferred to YI. It transferred as Rs 50 lakh loan. It was thus a matter of tax evasion.
This Young India company was incorporated on 23 November 2010. With a capital value of Rs 5 lakh. On December 13, 2010, Gandhi became one of the directors of YI.