In fresh summons to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked her to appear before it on July 21 for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper..
Sonia was issued a second summons by the ED for appearance on June 23 but she could not turn up due to health issues related to Covid-19 infection.
Sonia, 75, had sought postponing of the June 23 summons by four weeks. Allowing her plea, the ED has now asked her to depose before it on July 21, the officials said.The Congress president was first issued the notice for appearance on June 8, but after she tested positive for Covid. This prompted the agency to issue the summons for June 23. Her son and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been questioned by the agency in connection with the case for over 50 hours in sessions spread across five days.
The money laundering probe relates to alleged financial irregularities in Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
The Young Indian is promoted by the Congress. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders of Young Indian. Like her son, the Congress president too has 38 per cent shareholding in the company. The move to question the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late last year lodged a fresh case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The PMLA case followed a trial court here taking cognisance of an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
Swamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with Young Indian paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associated Journals Limited (AJL) owed to the Congress. In April, the ED had questioned Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal in the case.