New Delhi, July 2 || The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday told a court here that the Congress party wanted to usurp around Rs 2,000 crore assets of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, representing the ED, submitted before the Rouse Avenue Court that a conspiracy was hatched to form Young Indian Ltd -- in which Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi are majority stakeholders -- to acquire control over the newspaper's vast assets aimed at benefiting the party leadership personally.
ASG Raju added that several senior Congress leaders were involved in "fake transactions” made to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the original publisher of the National Herald. According to the ED, individuals were making fraudulent advance rent payments over several years at the direction of senior Congress functionaries with fabricated rent receipts.
Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne is handling the alleged National Herald money laundering case on a day-to-day basis, hearing submissions on behalf of the Central agency and the proposed accused, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda, and Suman Dubey.