The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is expected to summon Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for questioning in the ongoing probe into the alleged irregularities in the running of the National Herald newspaper, sources said. The agency is likely to conclude its investigation and file a prosecution complaint to proceed with the case to trial.
The ED has already attached assets worth ₹751 crore in this case, which involves alleged financial irregularities and money laundering in the operations of the National Herald, a newspaper owned by Young Indian Pvt Ltd.
Rahul Gandhi was last questioned by the ED in June 2022 for around 40 hours. The agency had also questioned Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, his brother DK Suresh, and party leader Pawan Bansal in connection with the case.
The ED’s move comes after Rahul Gandhi had earlier expressed apprehension on 2nd August about being called for questioning again. The agency wants to conclude the probe and file a prosecution complaint so that the case goes to trial.
The National Herald case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of assets of over ₹2,000 crore in an equity transaction. The ED case is based on a trial court order that allowed the Income Tax Department to probe the affairs of the National Herald newspaper and conduct a tax assessment of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
In 2012, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had filed a complaint accusing Sonia, Rahul, and others of cheating and misappropriation of funds in acquiring the ownership of the now-defunct daily, National Herald.
The ED’s likely move to summon Rahul Gandhi for questioning has sparked a political controversy, with the Congress accusing the BJP of using “agencies to intimidate opponents” and of using this to “divert attention from inflation and other problems.”
The Congress has also claimed that the case was closed by the ED in 2015 and that the BJP government had removed the ED officials concerned, brought in new officials, and reopened the case.
The ED’s likely move to summon Rahul Gandhi for questioning in the National Herald case is expected to further escalate the political tensions between the Congress and the BJP.
