The 75-five-year old congress leader was questioned for over two hours during her first day of questioning in the case on July 21.
New Delhi: Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi is expected to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection to a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. This is her second round of questioning.
According to an official, Ms. Gandhi is expected to depose before the central probe agency around noon on July 26 for recording of her statement by the ED investigating officer.
Initially, she was summoned by the agency on Monday but it was deferred by a day.
The 75-five-year old congress leader was questioned for over two hours during her first day of questioning in the case on July 21, where she replied to 28 questions put forth by the agency that is probing alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper, sources said.
Officials further assured that like it was on the first day of her appearance, all Covid-appropriate protocols will be put in place Tuesday as well such as the stationing of doctors and an ambulance, ‘Covid negative’ certificates of investigators, and proper physical distancing between Ms. Gandhi and the team of investigators.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and former congress president Rahul Gandhi are expected to accompany her to the ED office again as they did last week.
Priyanka Vadra may again stay back to provide any medicines and other medical care if required. The grand old party has slammed the agency’s action against its top leadership and termed it “political vendetta”.
The Delhi Police is also expected to deploy a huge force, including CRPF and RAF personnel, and barricade the entire over one kilometer stretch between her residence and the probe agency’s office.
The move to question the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late last year registered a fresh case under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
This was after a trial court here took cognizance of an Income Tax department probe against Young Indian based on a private criminal complaint by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders in Young Indian. Like her son, the Congress president too has 38 % shareholding.
The BJP MP had alleged the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with Young Indian paying only ₹ 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover ₹ 90.25 crores that Associate Journals Limited owed to the Congress.
In February 2021, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Gandhis seeking their response to Swamy’s plea. Congress leader and Rajya Sabha leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal were questioned by the ED in the case in April.
Congress has maintained its stance that there has been no wrongdoing and Young Indian is a “not-for-profit” company established under section 25 of the Companies Act hence there can be no question of money
Rahul Gandhi during his deposition before the ED stuck to the position that there was no personal acquisition of assets by himself or his family, sources said.
Assets worth about ₹ 800 crores are “owned” by the ALJ and the agency wants to know from the Gandhis how a not-for-profit company like Young Indian was undertaking commercial activities of renting out its land and building assets, according to the Enforcement Directorate.
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