Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi summoned by ED: Congress said it will fight the case legally and politically. Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said ED had closed the case in 2015.
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday summoned Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over the National Herald case, which the Congress claims was closed by the investigating agency in 2015. “The BJP is using puppet agencies to intimidate political opponents. National Heral has a history that goes back to independence days,” Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said adding that all opposition leaders including Mamata Banerjee, Farooq Abdullah are under the attacks from central agencies. “All companies do improve balance sheet by turning loans into equities, Singhvi added.
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“In 2015, the ED closed the National Herald case. But the govt didn’t like it and it removed the ED officials concerned, brought in new officials and reopened the case. This is to divert attention from inflation and other raging problems,” Singhvi added.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “We will not get frightened, we will not bow down.”
“The BJP has in fact disgraced and dishonoured the freedom fighters, the stalwarts of the nation and their contribution to the freedom struggle in which their party and their predecessors have no role,” Singhvi said adding that this is a weird case of money laundering in which no money is involved.
The National Herald case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of assets of over ₹2,000 crore in an equity transaction.
The notice to the Gandhis has been served a few days ago. In April, the ED questioned former Union minister Pawan Bansal, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in connection with the money laundering probe into the National Herald case.
Accusations of cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which ran the Congress mouthpiece, National Herald, by Young Indian Pvt Ltd have been levelled in the case.
