Rahul Gandhi to not receive further summons after 5th round of grilling from ED: Sources

After former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was summoned again on Tuesday, June 21, for the fifth round of questioning in an alleged money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper, Republic TV has now learnt that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will not send any further summons to the Gandhi scion. 

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has also been summoned by the ED in connection with the case but was given time until June 23 due to her illness. Gandhi was discharged from the hospital on Monday after treatment for COVID-related complications.

The ED is investigating Sonia and Rahul Gandhi's role in Young Indian Ltd's takeover of AJL (Associated Journals Limited), the company that ran the National Herald newspaper. Rahul and Sonia Gandhi together hold a 76% stake in Young Indian. The interrogation comes as a part of the probe to ascertain the shareholding pattern, financial transactions and role of the promoters of Young Indian and AJL. 

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi blamed former Congress treasurer Motilal Vora for the alleged financial irregularities in Young Indian and AJL transactions. According to sources, the Wayanad MP blamed the late Motilal Vora for all transactions linked to the acquisition of AJL and denied having any personal knowledge of loans or transactions made by Young Indian.

The National Herald case

In the year 2013, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy had filed a private criminal complaint wherein he accused Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi and several others of ‘misappropriating’ assets of Associated Journals worth over Rs 2,000 crore by ‘paying just Rs 50 lakh’.

In December 2015, both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi got bail by furnishing a personal bond of Rs.50,000 each and a surety after the court ruled out apprehension that they will flee the country. The ED has registered a fresh case against the Gandhi duo under the criminal provisions of PMLA after a trial court took cognizance of an Income Tax Department probe against Young Indian. Earlier in April, the agency also questioned senior Congress leaders Pawan Bansal and Mallikarjun Kharge in the case.