National Herald Case: ED allows Rahul Gandhi's request to postpone his questioning to Monday

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has allowed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's request to postpone his questioning in the National Herald money-laundering case from June 17 (Friday) to June 20 (Monday), officials told news agency PTI on Thursday evening.

Earlier in the day, the Wayanad MP had reportedly written to the investigating officer of the ED to allow him exemption from the questioning scheduled on Friday as he wants to remain with his ailing mother, Sonia Gandhi. She has been admitted to Delhi's Ganga Ram hospital due to COVID-19-related complications.

Meanwhile, Rahul was quizzed for almost 30 hours by the ED sleuths over the last three days.

He was questioned in detail about the ownership of Young Indian Private Limited (YIL) by the Gandhi family and its shareholding pattern in Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that runs the National Herald newspaper, sources told PTI.

Investigators in the ED, sources said, have also asked Gandhi to describe the circumstances under which AJL was acquired by YIL in 2010, making it the owner of all assets owned by the National Herald newspaper.

The National Herald, started by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, was published by the AJL. In 2010, the AJL, which faced financial difficulties, was taken over by a newly-floated YIL with Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda as directors, both of them Gandhi loyalists.

In a complaint in the Delhi High Court, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy accused Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul Gandhi, and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds.

Officials familiar with the probe said Rahul Gandhi is being asked questions about the takeover of the AJL by YIL since the Gandhis have stakes in the latter.

Meanwhile, Gandhi has told the ED that all the decisions and transactions related to YIL were taken by late party leader Motilal Vora, sources told news agency IANS. He has denied having knowledge of any sort of loan taken by YIL, according to ED sources. In fact, he was not aware of the accommodation entry of YIL, Gandhi is said to have told ED.

Gandhi said that Vora was engaged in all these sorts of affairs. Vora held 12 per cent stakes in YIL, while Rahul and Sonia had 76 per cent stakes. "Gandhi said he had no knowledge of YI-AJL deal as Vora was looking after it," the sources claimed.

As per the IANS sources, Gandhis are major beneficiaries in the whole deal. Earlier, Pawan Bansal and Mallikarjuna Kharge were questioned by the central agency. Since Vora has passed away, the needle of suspicion pointed towards the Gandhis.

(With PTI and IANS inputs)

Published on: Thursday, June 16, 2022, 10:09 PM IST