ED not satisfied by Sonia & Rahul Gandhi's responses in National Herald case: Sources

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper, is not satisfied with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her MP son Rahul Gandhi's responses in the case, sources privy to the developments told Republic.

According to sources, after Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi also blamed the late Motilal Vora for alleged financial irregularities in the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) acquisition during ED questioning. However, they haven't been able to prove that Vora was the sole signatory, sources added.

The Raebareli MP was also unable to convince the federal agency about payment received from the Kolkata-based Dotex company, and also the charitable activities of Young Indian Private Limited under Section 25 of the Companies Act, sources said.

Five properties in Chandigarh, Patna, Panchkula, Gurugram and Mumbai are currently under ED's scanner.

The National Herald newspaper is published by AJL and its holding company is Young Indian (YI). The Congress has said it gave a Rs 90 crore loan to a AJL between 2001-02 and 2010-11 and later, in 2011, the shares of AJL were allotted to YI and this debt was converted into equity and the loan was extinguished in the books of the AJL.

ED has said that these transactions draw anti-money laundering charges as a complex web of transactions and routing of funds were essayed by the party and its leaders to acquire AJL's assets worth multiple crores of rupees.

ED seals Young Indian office in National Herald premises

The ED on Wednesday sealed the office of Young Indian in the Herald House in Delhi. The seal was put in order to "preserve the evidence" in the money laundering case.

A notice affixed under signature of the ED investigating officer outside the Young India office space said it cannot be opened "without prior permission" from the agency.