Today, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi heard the prosecution complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the National Herald case, which involves Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the court that the accused, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, benefited from the proceeds of crime amounting to 142 crores.
Allegations Against Sonia and Rahul by SG
Representing the central agency, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju stated that the accused 'enjoyed the proceeds of crime until the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized properties worth 751.9 crores related to the National Herald in November 2023.'
The ED further claimed that the Gandhi family not only acquired proceeds of crime through money laundering but continued this crime by retaining those assets.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) further alleged that the Gandhi family, Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and others are prima facie involved in money laundering in the National Herald case.
Read Also: What is the National Herald case, and what is the role of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi? Get answers to all questions
Swamy's Petition Granted
Additionally, the court granted a petition from BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, seeking copies of the charge sheet and related documents. During the hearing, ED first argued why government approval was unnecessary, anticipating that the defense may raise this question.
ASG S.V. Raju, representing the ED, stated that the charge sheet was filed through an authorized officer, who holds the position of Assistant Director in the Enforcement Directorate. He also referenced a government order specifying that the government can authorize any officer to file a complaint under section 45.
Defense Argument
The defense senior advocates, A.M. Singhvi and R.S. Cheema, requested time from the court. They mentioned having recently received nearly 5000 pages of documents, and since May is an extremely busy month for both courts and lawyers, they asked for time until the end of June or early July to prepare.
To this, the court responded that it wishes to hear ED's initial arguments today and then proceed with the case in the first week of July. It was also clarified that this matter is in the MP-MLA Court, and regular hearings are essential.
Read Also: 'The Accused Will Also Be Heard', Court Notifies Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in National Herald Case
What is the National Herald Case?
The first complaint was filed in 2012. However, ED started investigating this case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2014. This occurred when a trial court took cognizance of irregularities in an income tax investigation initiated based on a private criminal complaint filed by Swamy in 2012. In 2010, Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of National Herald, had 1,057 shareholders. According to Swamy's complaint, the Gandhi family acquired AJL through Young Indian Limited by means of deception, criminal misuse, and betrayal of trust.
