The Enforcement Directorate questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the second consecutive day on Tuesday for over nine hours in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked him to appear for the third consecutive day on Wednesday for further questioning in the matter.
Rahul arrived at the ED headquarters here around 11 am, accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
His questioning began at 11.30 am after the completion of regular legal formalities, including marking his attendance in the register, officials said.
After a questioning session of about four hours, Rahul was allowed a break for about an hour around 3.30 pm, when he went home. His questioning resumed around 4.30 pm and continued till 9 pm, they said.
As on Monday, Delhi Police personnel were deployed in significant numbers and Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was imposed around the agency's office before the arrival of Gandhi who is a "Z+" category protectee of the Central Reserve Police Force.
Rahul, an MP from Wayanad in Kerala, was grilled for over eight hours on Monday in multiple sessions and his statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Rahul was summoned again on Tuesday as his questioning could not be completed on Monday, officials said.
Rahul recorded his statement and checked its transcript minutely before putting his signatures on them, sources said. An assistant director-rank officer of the ED is the investigating officer (IO) of the case.
Rahul's grilling revolved around questions related to the incorporation of the Young Indian company, the operations of the National Herald newspaper, the loan given by the Congress party to Associated Journals Ltd and the funds transfers within the media establishment as also the rationale behind the Young Indian Pvt Ltd paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to the Congress.
The money-laundering probe relates to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian that owns the National Herald newspaper.
The National Herald is published by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Pvt Limited. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are among the major promoters and shareholders of Young Indian.
The agency had questioned senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal in April as part of the money laundering probe. By questioning the senior Congress leaders and the Rahul, the agency is seeking to unravel the share holding pattern, financial transactions and role of the promoters of Young Indian and AJL, officials had said.
The ED recently registered a fresh case under PMLA after a trial court here took cognisance of an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian Pvt Ltd on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013.
The Congress party had then dubbed the ED action "vendetta" and the charges "fake and baseless". Rahul's mother and Congress president Sonia, who is currently undergoing Covid-related treatment at a hospital, has also been summoned by the agency for questioning in the case on June 23.
Swamy had accused Sonia, Rahul and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds, with Young Indian Pvt Ltd paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress.
In February last year, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Gandhis for their response on Swamy's plea seeking to lead evidence in the matter before the trial court.
The Gandhis had secured separate bails from the court in 2015 after they furnished personal bonds of Rs 50,000 and one surety of like amount.
They, however, contended before the Delhi High Court that the plea by Swamy was "misconceived and premature".
The other accused in this case are the Gandhis' close aides Suman Dubey and technocrat Sam Pitroda. Both had earlier denied any wrongdoing.
This is the first time that Rahul is being questioned in a criminal case by a Central probe agency. Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra was also questioned by the ED in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam in Rajasthan a few years back.