Stepping up further attack against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Friday complained to the Enforcement Director to register money laundering charges in the National Herald case.
In his petition submitted to ED Chief Rajan Katoch, the BJP leader argued that a case under Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA) could be charged under Sec 3 in the wake of New Delhi Magistrate Court’s summons to the Congress leaders as accused.
Swamy pointed out that in the wake of the court order, the Rs90 crore given by the Congress to the Associated Journals limited (AJl), the publishers of defunct National Herald newspaper was also a crime under PMlA. The new company called Young Indian, floated by Sonia and Rahul to illegally acquire the AJl clearly falls under the provision of the PMlA, he said, demanding the immediate attachment of properties of the National Herald publisher, he said.
“Bare perusal of the order of the Judicial Magistrate demonstrates that this is a classic case of a white collar crime carried out with extraordinary care to ensure that the tainted properties are projected at every stage as untainted property. Importantly, this extraordinary crime was committed through a series of financial transactions involving the Congress Party, Young India and AJl. Young Indian with a mere paid up capital of Rs5 lakhs obtained dominant control of AJl, having properties aggregating to Rs2,000 crores on a conservative basis,” said Swamy in the detailed complaint to the ED Chief.
As per the Section 3 of the PMlA, the value of the laundered money estimated by the investigators should be attached by issuing notice to properties and bank accounts. Already Income Tax notice was served to Congress party for providing fund to the defunct newspaper publishing company.The Magistrate Court had summoned Sonia, Rahul, and Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernadez and Gandhi famiy’s trusted aides Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda to appear on August 7. Congress has not yet disclosed its legal strategy on the case filed Swamy against its top leaders.
Swamy pointed out that in the wake of the Court order, the Rs90 crore given by the Congress to the Associated Journals limited (AJl), the publishers of defunct National Herald newspaper was also a crime under PMlA
The new company called Young Indian, floated by Sonia and Rahul to illegally acquire the AJl clearly falls under the provision of the PMlA, he said, demanding the immediate attachment of properties of the National Herald publisher, he said.