Sonia Gandhi lawyer to court in National Herald case: A strange case, might even be unprecedented
Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sonia, said: 'This is a strange case…it might even be unprecedented. This is a case of money laundering without any money or property having moved. AJL's (Associated Journals Ltd.) assets have existed for decades. Not one of these properties have moved ownership even by an inch. What happened was that the debt of AJL was assigned to YI (young Indian).'
'Debt can be assigned to someone else to make companies debt-free… Suppose AJL's debt was taken by Tatas or Birlas, will Tatas and Birlas be accused of money laundering?' Singhvi argued. 'YI only has a right on dividends and not on the assets of AJL,' he said.
Singhvi made these submissions before the court of Special Judge Vishal Gogne in the context of the allegations levelled by the ED wherein it alleged that the Congress created a company called Young Indian to launder money worth `2,000 crore from AJL — company which used to publish the National Herald newspaper.
As per ED, senior Congress leaders provided an interest-free loan of `90 crore to AJL, which had assets worth `2,000 crore, for a 'consideration of just `50 lakh'. The ED said this debt taken by the AJL was allegedly converted into equity in favour of the not-for-profit company Young Indian, in which Sonia and her son Congress MP Rahul Gandhi held a majority 76% share.
'There is an 11-year gap between the restructuring of the firm (AJL) and the ECIR (analogous to the ED's FIR). There is also an 8-year gap between the private complaint and the ECIR,' Singhvi said. 'The ED has never done this in 23 years. Picking up a private complaint that hasn't been probed in years and
then requesting the court to take cognizance.'
The case originated in 2012 from a criminal complaint filed by the then BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy against the Gandhis and other leaders of the Congress, whom he accused of fraud in acquiring AJL's property.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
5 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
PM Narendra Modi lands in Argentina to a warm welcome; to hold talks with President Javier Milei
Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Argentina on Saturday as part of his five-nation visit. The Indian community welcomed him in the capital, Buenos Aires. PM Modi is in Argentina on an official visit on July 4 and 5, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Argentina, Javier Milei.(DPR PMO) Argentina is the third leg of PM Modi's five-nation tour after Ghana, and Trinidad and Tobago. It will be followed by visits to Brazil for the 17th BRICS Summit and to Namibia. Ahead of Modi's visit, Indian ambassador to Argentina Ajaneesh Kumar hailed it a "momentous occasion," noting it will be the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM in over five decades. Laying out the itinerary of the PM's visit, Ambassador Kumar told ANI that the PM will pay homage to Jose de San Martin, widely regarded as the Father of the Argentine Nation, at the Plaza de San Martin in Buenos Aires. PM Modi will also hold delegation-level talks with Argentine President Javier Milei. Afterwards, he will visit the famous Boca Juniors Stadium to observe Argentine football. Ambassador Kumar also emphasised that this will be the Indian Prime Minister's first visit in over five decades and mentioned the "multifaceted" relations between both nations. "Prime Minister had the occasion to meet the President of Argentina last November during the G20 in Brazil. This visit will only consolidate the points discussed during the last meeting. India and Argentina relations are multifaceted. We have cooperation across a range of subjects. It was only last year that we celebrated 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries," he said. The rest of PM Narendra Modi's five-nation visit PM Modi is in Buenos Aires at the official invitation of the President of the Republic of Argentina. After completing his visit to Argentina, PM Modi will head to Brazil from July 5 to July 8 to attend the 17th BRICS Summit 2025. In the final leg of his five-nation tour, the PM will visit Namibia and also address its parliament.
Hindustan Times
5 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
₹34-cr assets attached in Ranya Rao gold smuggling case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties worth ₹34.12 crore in its money laundering probe into gold smuggling syndicate involving Kannada actress Ranya Rao, agency said on Friday while adding that the accused had detailed coordination with foreign gold suppliers, hawala operators, and Dubai-based customs agents and public officials at airports in India are also under scrutiny. Ranya Rao 'ED, Headquarter Investigative Unit-II, New Delhi has provisionally attached immovable properties valued at ₹34.12 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case involving transnational gold smuggling and laundering of its proceeds by Harshavardini Ranya alias Ranya Rao and her associates. The attached assets include immovable properties located in Bengaluru and Tumkur districts of Karnataka,' ED said in a statement. The financial crimes probe agency said it has identified proceeds of crime worth ₹55 crore in the smuggling so far. ED is among several central agencies - along with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Directorate of Revenue and Intelligence (DRI) - that are looking into a larger conspiracy into the gold smuggling racket. Its probe is based on a CBI case filed in March 7 this year following a complaint by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). DRI had intercepted Rao, stepdaughter of a director general of police rank officer, on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, with 14.213 kg of concealed 24-carat foreign-origin gold, valued at ₹12.56 crore. A search of her residence led to the recovery of ₹2.67 crore in unaccounted Indian currency and gold jewellery worth ₹2.06 crore. The agency said on Friday its probe revealed that 'Ranya Rao, in active collusion with Tarun Konduru Raju and others, orchestrated a well-structured operation for smuggling gold into India'. 'Gold was procured from suppliers based in Dubai, Uganda, and other jurisdictions, and payments were made through hawala channels in cash, thereby circumventing legal financial systems. False customs declarations were filed in Dubai, fraudulently declaring the destination of gold shipments as Switzerland or the USA, while the actual travel of the gold smugglers was to India. Dual sets of travel documents were used i.e. one for the declared export destination and the other for their actual arrival in India, to evade scrutiny and facilitate smuggling through Indian airports,' ED said. Further, ED investigation has revealed that the smuggled gold was then sold within India in cash to jewellers and other local entities, and the proceeds were subsequently laundered through further hawala remittances abroad to finance repeat consignments for smuggling more gold into India. 'Evidence retrieved from the seized mobile phones and forensic extraction of digital devices, have revealed detailed coordination with foreign gold suppliers, hawala operators, and Dubai-based customs agents. Ranya Rao's involvement in generating, possessing, and circulating proceeds of crime was further corroborated by her digital footprint, which includes invoices, export declarations, foreign remittance records, and recorded chats establishing her active role in the smuggling syndicate,' agency said. Earlier, ED had in May raided 16 locations, including educational institutes linked to Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara and some hawala and forex dealers in this case. ED recorded Rao's statement during which she knowledge of the seized gold and other assets; however, her claims were demonstrably contradicted by seized physical evidence, including customs documents bearing her name, travel and purchase records, and digital conversations, agency statement said. 'Despite the seizure of 14.2 kg of smuggled gold and associated assets by DRI, the total proceeds of crime identified during ED's investigation have been quantified at ₹55.62 Crore. This includes approximately ₹38.32 Crore identified through analysis of the evidence gathered during the course of investigation by ED e.g. foreign invoices, customs declarations, and hawala-linked remittances,' ED added. 'It has also emerged during investigation that Ranya Rao was assisted at the airport upon her arrival in India, and the possible involvement of public servants in facilitating her illicit activities is under scrutiny,' it said. As a substantial portion of the proceeds of crime had been layered and reinvested into immovable assets to project them as untainted, ED said it has provisionally attached four properties of equivalent value belonging to Ranya Rao. These include a residential house in Victoria Layout, Bengaluru; a residential plot in Arkavathi Layout, Bengaluru; industrial land in Tumkur District; and agricultural land in Anekal Taluk, with a combined fair market value of ₹34.12 Crore. 'Further investigation is under progress to trace the remaining proceeds of crime and identify other individuals and entities involved in the syndicate,' it said.
Hindustan Times
6 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Mumbai Police get notice from court for non-submission of probe report on complaint against Ekta Kapoor
A Mumbai court on Friday issued a show cause notice to the city police for not submitting an inquiry report in a criminal complaint filed against film and television producer Ekta Kapoor for allegedly disrespecting Indian soldiers in one of her web series. The probe report was to be submitted by May 9, a deadline missed by the police. As per the complaint, a web series on Alt Balaji showed a military officer engaging in an "illicit sexual act".(AFP) The magistrate's court in Bandra had in February directed the Khar police to conduct an inquiry into the complaint against Ekta and others under section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Under this section, a magistrate can carry out an inquiry into a criminal complaint, or direct the police to do so. The magistrate's court had called for a report from the police by May 9. The show cause notice was issued as the police haven't submitted the report yet. The complaint was filed by YouTuber Vikas Pathak, also known as 'Hindustani bhau'. Besides Ekta, Vikas named her OTT platform Alt Balaji, and her parents--Shobha and Jeetendra, in the complaint. As per the complaint filed through advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh, a web series on Alt Balaji showed a military officer engaging in an "illicit sexual act" in one of its episodes. Vikas came across the episode in May 2020, the complaint said. "The accused have stooped to a cheap low and shamelessly targeted the dignity and pride of our country by depicting Indian Army military uniform in the illicit sexual act with national emblem on it," the complaint said.
