AJL open and shut case against Sonia and Rahul, rampant corruption and money laundering: Union Minister Hardeep Puri
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri said that the National Herald case is an open and shut case of fraud, corruption and money laundering.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday (17th April 2025), Puri said, “I want to share with you my understanding of the National Herald case…This is an open and shut case of fraud, corruption and money laundering… Congress party has used their lawyers to somehow delay and derail the case…”
The BJP leader slammed the Congress over its allegation of political vendetta, saying that the party need to introspect, as they are misleading the Congress party workers.
“When ED filed the chargesheet, Congress people started making statements that it is a political vendetta that we are using central agencies against them. I would like to advise them to introspect, as they are misleading the Congress party workers. The party workers must protest against their own leaders,” the BJP leader further said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Harish Rawat has termed the ED’s filing of a chargesheet against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case an effort to “murder democracy.
“Speaking to ANI, Rawat claimed that the ED’s chargesheet is based on a plain lie.”It is an effort to murder democracy. Everyone knows the relationship between the National Herald and Congress, and this (ED’s chargesheet) is based on a plain lie… if anyone had any objection, a civil suit could have been filed, but involving ED is an effort to induce fear and malign the image of opposition leaders,” the former Uttarakhand CM said.
ED files chargesheet against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi
On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a prosecution complaint, also known as a chargesheet, against top Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in connection with the National Herald money laundering case. The chargesheet also names Congress leader Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and others, including several firms.
The matter has been listed for arguments on cognisance in the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court on April 25. The prosecution complaint has been filed under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, for the offence of money laundering, as defined under Section 3, read with Section 70, and punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA, 2002.
ED issues notices to take possession of properties worth ₹661 crore
Last week, the Enforcement Directorate has served notices to property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow to take possession of assets worth Rs 661 crore. The ED served notices to property registrars in the three cities in connection with properties of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) on April 11, in accordance with Section 8 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and Rule 5(1) of the associated rules.
The probe agency said a notice under Rule 5(3) has been issued to Jindal South West Projects Limited, the occupant of the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors of Herald House in Bandra (E), Mumbai. “The company has been directed to transfer monthly rent payments to the Director of the Enforcement Directorate,” the agency said.
ED said these properties were attached after an extensive investigation, which revealed “signification generation, possession and use of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 988 crores”.
Notably, ‘National Herald’ is owned by ‘Young India Private Limited’. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have 38-38% shares in this company. That is, both of them are majority shareholders in this company.
In April last year, the adjudicating authority of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) upheld the attachment of assets worth Rs 750 crore of Congress-held Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and later acquired by Young India. In its order, the authority stated that it noted that the equity shares and movable assets that the ED had attached were proceeds of crime and were connected with money laundering offences.
ED investigation reveals acquired properties by undervaluing their worth
The investigation under PMLA 2002 has revealed that Young Indian, a private company owned by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, acquired AJL properties worth Rs 2000 crores for a mere Rs 50 Lakh, significantly undervaluing its worth. The findings from the ED also indicate that Young Indian and AJL properties were used “for generation of further Proceeds of Crime in the form of bogus donations to the tune of Rs 18 crore, bogus advance rent to the tune of Rs 38 crore and bogus advertisements of Rs 29 crore”.
To stop the further generation, utilization and enjoyment of the proceeds of crime and in compliance with Section 8 of PMLA 2002 and Prevention of Money Laundering (Taking Possession of Attached or Frozen Properties Confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority) Rules, 2013, the Directorate of Enforcement “has initiated the proceedings to take possession of the tainted properties”.
It must be recalled that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress party, and a few other party leaders were questioned earlier. The agency recorded their statements in relation to the case. The ED had revealed that the Congress party relaunched the news operations of the National Herald in 2016 to make it appear as if it was still engaged in newspaper publishing. The brand relaunch took place after ED and other agencies started probing into company affairs.
Back in 2020, it was reported that huge land in Mumbai was acquired by Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) meant for a Dalit hostel at a throwaway price and converted into a commercial property. Approximately 3,500 square meters of land was allotted to AJL in 1983, which was valued at Rs 262 crore in 2017.
National Herald Scam
The National Herald scam is one of the most notable legal cases in Indian history, as the Gandhis are directly accused. The Mother-Son duo of Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul, along with their aides – Oscar Fernandez, Motilal Vohra and Sam Pitroda are alleged to have involved in massive ‘cheating and breach of trust’ in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YIL), as assets worth crores of rupees had been allegedly transferred for purposes other than originally intended for a paltry sum. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi got unconditional bail in December 2015.
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