ED seeks confiscation of Rs 661 crore assets in National Herald charge sheet

NEW DELHI: In a recently-filed chargesheet in the Associated Journals Limited-Young Indian-National Herald money-laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought confiscation of assets worth Rs 661 crore that it has attached during the course of the investigation, according to official sources.

The federal probe agency has also appended the statements of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the prosecution complaint (chargesheet) that it had recorded in 2022 during their questioning and it is understood that they have denied any wrongdoing, saying the takeover of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) by Young Indian (YI) was not for commercial purposes, the sources told PTI.

The chargesheet names 78-year-old former Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Sonia Gandhi as the accused number one and her son, Rahul Gandhi (54), as the accused number two, besides five others.

It was filed by the ED before a competent court here that tries criminal cases against lawmakers on April 9. The court has fixed April 25 as the next date of hearing in the case, when it may take or reject cognisance of the chargesheet.

The sources said the agency has sought punishment against the accused for the offence of money laundering under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and prayed for the confiscation of assets worth Rs 661 crore that it had attached in November 2023.

These confiscated assets, post the successful trial, will go to the government exchequer by way of auction or any other such process, they added.

It is understood that both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have denied any wrongdoing in the affairs of AJL and YI, saying while they were part of the meetings held to help the former debt-laden company (AJL), these affairs were mostly taken care of by late Congress leader Motilal Vora, who served as the chairman of AJL between 2001 and 2002, apart from other office-bearers.

The two top Congress leaders are understood to have reiterated the party's legal stand that YI was a section-25 entity under the Companies Act and hence, there cannot be any commercial activity through it nor there can be any personal benefits to the shareholders.

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are the majority shareholders of YI with 38-per cent stakes each.

The agency has also appended in the chargesheet the statements of Congress leader Pawan Bansal and party president Mallikarjun Kharge to describe the events of AJL-YI and the All India Congress Committee (AICC) to buttress its point that a "conspiracy was orchestrated to illegally obtain the underlying assets of AJL by the beneficial owners of YI (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi)".

According to the sources, a probe into the AJL balance-sheets has also found that the company received a rent of Rs 142.67 crore from its various properties till about 2023.

"The rent received in the past has majorly been utilised in the development of commercial spaces, particularly in Mumbai, to fully exploit the business potential," an official said.

AJL is the publisher of the "National Herald" news platform (newspaper and web portal) and is owned by Young Indian Private Limited.

The Congress has slammed the chargesheet, alleging that the ED action against its leaders shows panic and moral bankruptcy of the "despotic" government that wants to divert attention from public issues and the ongoing economic crisis.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, has continued to call out the role of the Gandhi family in the matter and asserted that those who have indulged in corruption and usurped farmers' land will be put behind bars under the "honest government" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.