National Herald case: ED summons Sonia Gandhi to appear before it on July 21

• Image Credit: Internet

• Jul 11, 2022 | Dhupali Das

Earlier, the 75-year-old Congress chief wrote to the investigation agency to request a delay of her appearance due to her recovery from covid-19...

Digital Desk: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Congress President Sonia Gandhi for questioning in the National Herald newspaper-linked money-laundering case on July 21. 

The federal investigation agency issued Gandhi with a second summons for June 23, but the congress leader was unable to appear because she had been strictly advised to rest at home following her hospitalization due to covid-19 and a lung infection. 

Gandhi requested a four-week delay of the June 23 summons; as a result, she has been ordered to appear before the agency on July 21, officials said.

The summons for the Congress leader was issued on June 8, but after she was tested positive for Covid-19, it was moved to June 23.

Earlier, the CBI questioned her son and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi about the matter for more than 50 hours throughout five sessions.

The National Herald newspaper is owned by the Young Indian Private Limited, which the Congress supported, and is the subject of the investigation into potential financial irregularities.

The decision to interrogate the Gandhis came after the ED late last year filed a new case under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after a trial judge in this location took cognizance of an income-tax department investigation against Young Indian based on a private criminal complaint made by BJP politician Subramanian Swamy in 2013.

Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the pioneers and principal shareholders of Young Indian. The Congress president owns 38% of the business, just like her son.

Swamy had charged the Gandhis and others of plotting to defraud and misappropriate funds, with Young Indian paying merely Rs 50 lakh to secure the right to reclaim Rs 90.25 crore owed to the congress by Associated Journals Limited (AJL).

The Gandhis were given a notice by the Delhi High Court in February of last year to respond to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader's request to present evidence in the case before the trial court.

The ED questioned Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal, two leaders of the Congress, about the issue in April.

Congress has accused the government of targeting opposition figures by misusing investigative agencies and linked the situation to "political vendetta."