
Prima facie case against Sonia, Rahul made out: ED
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday told a court here that Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have enjoyed Rs. 142 crore of 'proceeds of crime' linked to alleged National Herald money laundering case.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the ED, said that the accused were benefiting from the proceeds of crime until the federal anti-money laundering agency attached assets related to the National Herald in November 2023.
Further, ASG Raju claimed that the accused committed money laundering not only when they acquired the 'proceeds of crime" but also when they continued to hold it.
As per the ED, a prima facie case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was made out against the Gandhis, Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and others.
After hearing the opening arguments of the ED, Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts ordered that the matter would be taken on a day-to-day basis from July 2 till July 8 for submissions on behalf of the Central agency and the proposed accused.
In the meantime, the judge asked the probe agency to furnish a copy of the prosecution complaint to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, on whose private complaint the ED launched the money laundering probe.
In an earlier hearing held on May 2, the Rouse Avenue Courts asked the Gandhis and others accused to show cause as to why cognisance should not be taken against them on ED's charge sheet.
The anti-money laundering agency filed a prosecution complaint against senior Congress leaders, including the Gandhis, in the National Herald case. Others named in the charge sheet include Congress Overseas Chief Pitroda, Suman Dubey, and others.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
11 minutes ago
- Time of India
Sonam paid Rs 50,000 to Raj for his, killer trio's trip to Shillong
Lucknow: Sonam Raghuvanshi paid Rs 50,000 to her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, to facilitate his and the three other accused people's travel to Shillong and monitor her movements along with her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, police said, quoting the confession of two of the arrested accused. Raj Kushwaha, along with Vishal Singh, Anand Kurmi, and Akash Rajput, first boarded a train from Indore to Delhi between May 17 and 18 and then took Rajdhani Express from Delhi to Guwahati. Their travel preceded Raja and Sonam's honeymoon to Shillong for which they took a flight from Indore on May 20. Throughout this duration, Raj stayed in direct and discreet contact with Sonam, who used different mobile apps to communicate with him, and shared her live locations which allowed the alleged conspirators to track her and Raja's movement. However, as Raj continues to claim that he was in Indore during the period, police are gathering more evidence to ascertain whether Raj was in Indore or was one of the killers of Raja and to corroborate the confessions of the accused regarding the involvement of each one in the crime. After killing Raja on either May 23 or 24, the accused were back in Indore on May 25, police said.


Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
No-vending zone: Illegal traders removed from Gurgaon's MG Road in joint operation
Gurgaon: The civic authorities on Tuesday launched a joint anti-encroachment drive on MG Road cracking down on illegal street vendors and unauthorised carts that have long hindered pedestrian movement and road safety along this key corridor. Two enforcement teams from GMDA and four teams from MCG, numbering around 30 staffers, were deployed to target areas near MG Metro Station, Heritage City, IFFCO Chowk and Beverly Park 1. Over 40 illegal carts were removed and vendors were instructed to cease operations. MG Road — which connects key commercial hubs, metro stations and residential complexes across a 2.5km stretch — is a no-vending zone and no carts or other vendors are allowed to operate on this stretch, according to the GMDA officials. The enforcement drive came after concerns were raised by residents and commuters regarding persistent encroachments despite the ongoing streetscaping efforts on MG Road, which is being carried out by the GMDA at a cost of Rs 11.3 crore. TOI reported on May 30 that encroached footpaths and cycle tracks undermined the purpose of the streetscaping project on MG Road. Nodal officer for encroachment and DTP at GMDA RS Batth said, "While the encroachments have been largely temporary, regular drives will continue to ensure MG Road remains free of illegal carts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos Portal Saúde do Homem Clique aqui Undo We will also investigate reports of local mafias exploiting cart owners by charging fees for operating illegally. Such activities will not be tolerated." Meanwhile, residents have taken this development with a pinch of salt. "We have seen similar drives in the past, but within hours — not days — things go back to square one. While we do welcome the action, what we really need is a lasting solution that ensures pedestrian safety and restores the proper functionality of this road," said RWA president of Essel Towers Dr Rajeev Sinha. Earlier, GMDA CEO Shyamal Misra convened a meeting with senior officials, including MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya, to discuss challenges faced on MG Road, with a particular focus on illegal vending and encroachment. Subsequently, GMDA, in coordination with MCG and Gurgaon Traffic Police, carried out the joint operation.


The Hindu
17 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Two mules in digital arrest case caught, police recover ₹10 lakh of ₹4.7 crore
Following the digital arrest case of a 75-year-old retired engineer, the South-East cyber crime police arrested two men, including an industrialist from Hyderabad, who allegedly received the money in their bank accounts. The police also exposed the link of a casino in Sri Lanka to the cyber fraud which is being probed in detail. The accused according to the police trapped the victim, posing as CBI and ED officials, and threatened to book him for money laundering three months ago, and forced him to pay ₹4.7 crore over a period of time. The accused even forced him to share property documents which they tried to use as collateral to get personal loans. The police, based on a tip-off from their Chennai counterparts, approached the victim, who was not aware of the scam and was transferring the money to different accounts. He had recently transferred ₹10 lakh to the account belonging to the driver of Ishwar Singh, a Hyderabad-based businessman. Based on the information, a police team tracked down Ishwar Singh who confessed that he had gone to Sri Lanka to gamble in the casino with ₹25 lakh. After losing ₹15 lakh, he returned to Hyderabad and asked for a refund for the rest of the money from the accused in the casino. The accused asked the victim posing as CBI officials to transfer the money to Ishwar. 'He was unaware that the money he received is part of a cyber crime,' a police officer said, adding that the money has been seized and returned to the victim. Meanwhile, the police also detained Ramnarayana Choudhary, an industrialist from Hyderabad, whose account the accused had used to transfer the money. The police found that Choudhary received ₹1.8 crore in his account which was later transferred to different accounts in Guntur and Vishakhapatnam. The police said that both Choudhary and Singh were unaware that the money they had received in their accounts belonged to cyber crime. The police have warned people not to share their bank accounts with anyone, while a probe is on to track down the accused and expose the links of cyber frauds and casino in Sri Lanka, said Sarah Fathima, DCP (South-East division).