ED questions Rahul Gandhi for 4th time
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the fourth time in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper and summoned him again on Tuesday, even as party leaders and workers across the country continued their protest against the action.
Accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rahul arrived at the ED headquarters at around 11.05 am and was interrogated for over nine hours, officials said. Gandhi was questioned for around 30 hours last week, from June 13 to 15, amid intense protests and subsequent detention of party leaders and workers.
The case relates to alleged financial irregularities in the par ty-promoted Young Indian (YI), which owns the National Herald newspaper.
On Monday, Gandhi was questioned about his role in day-to-day functioning of YI, in which he and his mother are the majority stakeholders, the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by YI, a loan of ₹90.21 crore given by All India Congress Committee (AICC) to AJL, and its subsequent assignment to YI, and transactions related to the development of a property in Mumbai, the officials cited above said.
The probe so far revealed that YI is not a charitable organisation as claimed by the party and Gandhi, an official said on condition of anonymity. The party has repeatedly claimed that YI is a non-profit organisation and that its shareholders could not make any money from the assets of the company.
However, as also reflected in the Income Tax department’s probe, even though YI was registered under section 25 of Companies Act, 1956 in November 2010, “it has no business or income of its own and has not carried out any charitable activities,” the official said.
The Congress, meanwhile, held a peaceful stir across the country -a two-in-one protest, according to party leaders, against the Agnipath army recruitment scheme and the ED’s interrogation of Gandhi.