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NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Congress president Sonia Gandhi for questioning on July 21 in connection with the case of alleged money laundering involving the sale of assets of Associated Journals Limited by a company controlled by the Gandhis.
The Congress chief’s session with the enforcement agency had to be deferred twice after she came down with a Covid infection.
In case she appears before ED on the fresh date, Congress chief’s questioning will happen three days after the monsoon session of Parliament has been convened.
Indications are that the the two Houses might see Congress’s protests over summons to Sonia and Rahul who also appeared before the anti- money laundering agency. ED’s summons to Rahul saw Congress trying to organise protests against what it called political vendetta.
ED which carried on with its questioning of Rahul for five days, has sought details of the transactions and verifiable documents to prove Congress’s claim that it had paid Rs 90 crore to the Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of National Herald to meet its expenses and fulfil obligations to its employees.
In 2010, the Gandhis launched Young Indian which took control of AJL by taking over the entire debt of Rs 90 crore owed by AJL. However, investigations later revealed that the YI paid only Rs 50 lakh in lieu of Rs 90 crore and yet the Congress agreed to transfer the entire shareholding of the company to Young Indian and settle the entire account.
While Rahul and other Congress leaders examined so far have denied having any knowledge, saying that only party’s former treasurer late Motilal Vora had the details, ED is likely to ask Sonia, who was the party president during the period of transactions, for the proof of payment of Rs 90 crore in question.
Sonia’s questioning will mark the conclusion of ED’s investigation in the National Herald money laundering case in which , as per the agency’s estimates assets of Rs 800 crore of assets of AJL were allegedly acquired by Young Indian, a company launched and controlled by the Gandhi family.
The Gandhis and other Congress leaders have denied any irregularity in the affairs of the AJL, a party controlled company which had prime properties across several cities. They say that these assets are still owned by the AJL despite the fact that Young Indian is now 100% shareholder (of AJL).
The Congress leaders also claim that the party president or her children cannot derive any benefit from the assets of AJL or Young Indian (YI) as the latter is a not-for-profit charitable company. Significantly, the income tax has withdrawn the charitable status of the YI and has slapped more than Rs 200 crore of tax demands terming these transactions as commercial in nature.
The last summons for Sonia was for June 23 when she had sought four weeks to recover from her illness. She was first summoned on June 8.
The Congress chief’s session with the enforcement agency had to be deferred twice after she came down with a Covid infection.
In case she appears before ED on the fresh date, Congress chief’s questioning will happen three days after the monsoon session of Parliament has been convened.
Indications are that the the two Houses might see Congress’s protests over summons to Sonia and Rahul who also appeared before the anti- money laundering agency. ED’s summons to Rahul saw Congress trying to organise protests against what it called political vendetta.
ED which carried on with its questioning of Rahul for five days, has sought details of the transactions and verifiable documents to prove Congress’s claim that it had paid Rs 90 crore to the Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of National Herald to meet its expenses and fulfil obligations to its employees.
In 2010, the Gandhis launched Young Indian which took control of AJL by taking over the entire debt of Rs 90 crore owed by AJL. However, investigations later revealed that the YI paid only Rs 50 lakh in lieu of Rs 90 crore and yet the Congress agreed to transfer the entire shareholding of the company to Young Indian and settle the entire account.
While Rahul and other Congress leaders examined so far have denied having any knowledge, saying that only party’s former treasurer late Motilal Vora had the details, ED is likely to ask Sonia, who was the party president during the period of transactions, for the proof of payment of Rs 90 crore in question.
Sonia’s questioning will mark the conclusion of ED’s investigation in the National Herald money laundering case in which , as per the agency’s estimates assets of Rs 800 crore of assets of AJL were allegedly acquired by Young Indian, a company launched and controlled by the Gandhi family.
The Gandhis and other Congress leaders have denied any irregularity in the affairs of the AJL, a party controlled company which had prime properties across several cities. They say that these assets are still owned by the AJL despite the fact that Young Indian is now 100% shareholder (of AJL).
The Congress leaders also claim that the party president or her children cannot derive any benefit from the assets of AJL or Young Indian (YI) as the latter is a not-for-profit charitable company. Significantly, the income tax has withdrawn the charitable status of the YI and has slapped more than Rs 200 crore of tax demands terming these transactions as commercial in nature.
The last summons for Sonia was for June 23 when she had sought four weeks to recover from her illness. She was first summoned on June 8.
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