ED Moves To Take Possession Of Properties Linked To Sonia, Rahul Gandhi In National Herald Case: Report

The Enforcement Directorate has begun the proceedings to take possession of properties linked to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in connection to the National Herald money laundering case, India Today reported.

On Friday (11 April), ED issued notices to property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, where the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), acquired by Young Indian, a company beneficially owned by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, are located.

The case relates to alleged financial irregularities and misappropriation of funds involving the acquisition of AJL, which once published the National Herald newspaper.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who filed the initial complaint, alleges that YIL took over AJL’s assets in a "malicious manner" to gain control of properties worth over Rs 2,000 crore.

According to the ED, the attachment follows investigations that revealed the alleged laundering of proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 988 crore, linked to AJL's assets.

The proceedings were initiated after an Adjudicating Authority recently confirmed the earlier provisional attachment of the properties, India Today reported.

In November 2023, the ED provisionally attached immovable properties in three cities - Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow - worth Rs 661 crore and AJL shares worth Rs 90.2 crore. These attachments were reportedly confirmed on 10 April.

The ED also issued a separate notice to Jindal South West Projects— the current occupant of three floors in Herald House in Mumbai.

The Jindal South West Projects has been directed to deposit all future rent payments directly with the ED.

The ED reportedly claims the properties were illegally acquired and laundered through a complex political-financial nexus involving the Congress leadership.

The ED’s investigation, which formally commenced in 2021, stems from from Swamy’s 2014 complaint before Delhi court.

The complaint accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other senior Congress leaders of orchestrating a fraudulent takeover of AJL’s properties -- estimated to be worth over Rs 2,000 crore -- through Young Indian for a nominal sum of Rs 50 lakh.

The probe faced legal challenges in courts but both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court allowed the investigation to proceed.

During the probe, the ED conducted searches and seizures at multiple locations and claimed to have uncovered documents pointing to additional layers of financial irregularities.

The latest move is aimed at halting the continued enjoyment, use, and further generation of tainted assets, according to officials cited in the Indian Today report.

Also Read: Karnataka Moves Forward With Plan To Induct 4,000 Electric Buses Into State Transport Fleets