New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a Delhi court on Wednesday that Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are beneficiaries of Rs 142 crore in alleged proceeds of crime linked to the ongoing National Herald money laundering case. The agency argued that sufficient grounds exist to proceed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The submissions were made before Special Judge Vishal Gogne at the Rouse Avenue Court during preliminary hearings on whether to take cognizance of the ED’s prosecution complaint against the senior Congress leaders and other accused individuals.
The case traces back to a private criminal complaint filed in 2014 by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, which was acknowledged by the magistrate court in June of the same year. The ED officially began its investigation in 2021.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the defence, sought additional time to respond, citing the complexity and volume of case documents, which amount to around 5,000 pages.
The ED’s complaint names Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, Young Indian Pvt Ltd, and two associated companies as accused. According to the agency, Young Indian was formed to gain control over Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper, along with its assets reportedly valued at over Rs 2,000 crore.
