During the hearing, Special Judge Vishal Gogne asked the ED to give a copy of the chargesheet to Subramanian Swamy, since he is the person who filed the original complaint that led to the case.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday announced that it will conduct daily hearings in the National Herald money laundering case involving Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and others from July 2 to July 8.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a Delhi court that there is a “prima facie” case of money laundering against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others in the National Herald case. The ED made this claim while starting its arguments on whether the court should take official notice of the case.
The ED had recently filed its chargesheet in this matter. Their investigation began in 2021, after a magistrate court took note of a private complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on June 26, 2014.
During the hearing, Special Judge Vishal Gogne asked the ED to give a copy of the chargesheet to Subramanian Swamy, since he is the person who filed the original complaint that led to the case.
The court proceedings are still in progress, and the ED’s lawyers are currently making their detailed submissions before the judge.
The ED’s case is based on allegations that Congress leaders were involved in laundering money related to the acquisition and operation of the National Herald newspaper, which was run by a company called Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and later taken over by Young Indian, a company in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have major stakes.
The ED told the court that a “prima facie” case has been made out, meaning that there is enough evidence at first glance to move forward with the case.
The case revolves around the acquisition of assets and financial dealings involving the newspaper, which was founded by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938. The allegations suggest that the Gandhi family, through their ownership of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of National Herald, had misused funds and engaged in illegal practices to benefit from the newspaper’s assets.
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other prominent figures have faced allegations of financial misconduct, which they have strongly denied. The legal proceedings have been a subject of ongoing discussion in political circles, with each side accusing the other of misusing the legal process for political gain.
The National Herald case involves a Rs.90 crore loan provided by the Congress party to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald, which was assigned to Young Indian for a sum of Rs.50 lakh. Allegations have been made regarding the misappropriation of assets exceeding Rs.2,000 crore in this equity transaction.
The case matters from a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy. He accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to acquire shares of the National Herald newspaper and its associated company, AJL, by using funds in a way that violated laws.
In his private complaint, former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and the Gandhi family-controlled Young Indian of offenses including cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and misappropriation of property.
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE
