National Herald case: ED attaches properties worth Rs. 751 crore of firm linked to Gandhis
Guwahati: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said that it has attached assets worth ?751 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and Young Indian (YI) in its money laundering probe into the affairs of Congress-run National Herald newspaper.
The attached properties include the National Herald houses in Delhi and Mumbai as well as the Nehru Bhavan in Lucknow.
The properties that are attached by the ED are said to be worth Rs 751.9 crore.
The ED said in a statement, “Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has issued an order to provisionally attach properties worth ?751.9 crore in a money-laundering case investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Investigation revealed that M/s Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) is in possession of proceeds of crime in the form of immovable properties spread across many cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow to the tune of Rs. 661.69 crore and M/s. Young Indian (YI) is in possession of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs. 90.21 Crore in the form of investment in equity shares of AJL.”
The case is primarily based on a complaint filed by Subramanian Swamy of the BJP in a Delhi court in 2013.
The allegations include cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited by Yong Indian Pvt Ltd.
Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were granted bail in the case by the trial court in December 2015.
