National Herald Case: ED Grants Request, Lets Sonia Gandhi Depose In Late July
The Congress president was to be deposed by the probe agency on Thursday, but wrote a letter seeking more time.
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Accepting a request to postpone questioning, the Enforcement Directorate, on Thursday, 23 June, asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi to record her statement in the National Herald money-laundering case with the probe agency during the last week of July.
Gandhi was initially summoned for an appearance on 8 June but after she reported positive for COVID-19, a fresh notice for an appearance on 23 June was issued.
On Monday, 20 June, she was discharged from the hospital in Delhi, where she had been admitted for COVID-related complications. She was admitted to the hospital on 12 June after testing positive for COVID-19 on 2 June.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi spent a total of about 54 hours at the ED office over five sittings with the investigators questioning him over multiple sessions starting 13 June.
Why Are the Gandhis Being Questioned?
The ED had registered the case to probe alleged financial irregularities in the party-promoted group Young Indian, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
The ED wants to record the statements of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The summons to the Gandhis came after the probe agency questioned Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal in relation to the case.
The questioning of the senior Congress leaders and the Gandhis is part of the ED's investigation to understand the shareholding pattern, financial transactions and role of the promoters of Young Indian and AJL, officials had said.
The agency registered a fresh case under the criminal provisions of the PMLA after a trial court in Delhi took cognisance of an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian Pvt Ltd on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
(With inputs from PTI)
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