Herald case: Court questions ED action against Gandhis
New Delhi, July 3 -- A Delhi court on Wednesday questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on its money laundering probe against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, asking why the agency acted against them, when corporates, and state-owned companies routinely write off loans.
The questions were raised by special judge Vishal Gogne while hearing ED's submissions on the point of cognisance of the charge sheet in the matter.
The agency's claim is that the Gandhis acquired beneficial ownership of the assets of the party-run newspaper National Herald's parent company Associated Journals Limited (AJL), worth Rs.2,000 crore, for a mere Rs.50 lakh that was paid to the Congress Party.
"PSUs do this all the time. Banks are writing off loans all the time...what if Congress wrote off the loans?" the court asked additional solicitor general SV Raju, who represented the central agency. The court went on to question as to why the agency did not name the Congress party and its decision-making body AICC also as accused.
"The court finds it interesting that Congress, who as per the agency wrote off the loans, have not been named as an accused.if the persons who lost their shares in the debt-ridden newspaper can be the victims, then why is not the party an accused?" ED in its charge sheet filed on April 9 against former Congress presidents Sonia and Rahul Gandhi has claimed that the Gandhis are beneficial owners of YI, which acquired AJL's assets worth Rs.2,000 crore for just Rs.50 lakh....
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