Senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have been booked in a fresh FIR filed by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing in connection with the National Herald money laundering case. The FIR, based on a complaint from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), names six individuals — including Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey, Sunil Bhandari and an unidentified person — along with three companies: Associated Journals Limited (AJL), Young Indian, and Dotex Merchandise Pvt. Ltd.
The complaint alleges a conspiracy to “fraudulently take over AJL,” the publisher of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper. Investigators claim Dotex Merchandise, described as a Kolkata-based shell firm, transferred ₹1 crore to Young Indian, enabling it to pay ₹50 lakh to the Congress and acquire control of AJL, which owned assets valued at about ₹2,000 crore.
The FIR, dated October 3, emerged a day after a Delhi court postponed its decision in the National Herald case to December 16.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla attacked the Congress, accusing its top leadership of habitual corruption and playing the “victim card” when questioned.
Background of the Case
The case originated in 2012 after BJP leader Subramanian Swamy accused Congress leaders of cheating and breach of trust in AJL’s acquisition. AJL had shut down the National Herald in 2008 due to financial distress and owed the Congress ₹90 crore, which the party had extended over a decade. When AJL failed to repay, the loan was converted into equity and transferred to Young Indian — a not-for-profit company in which Rahul and Sonia Gandhi each hold 38% stake.
ED’s Financial Probe
According to the ED, the alleged proceeds of crime exceed ₹5,000 crore, including ₹2,000 crore worth of AJL assets. The agency has attached properties worth ₹661 crore and AJL shares worth ₹90.2 crore. A 2017 Income Tax order had earlier flagged over ₹414 crore in suspected tax evasion linked to the transfer of AJL’s assets.
The ED claims its investigation uncovered:
- ₹18.12 crore in bogus donations used to settle Young Indian’s tax dues
- ₹38 crore in fake “advance rent”
- ₹29 crore from non-genuine advertisements
The probe also alleges that political leaders DK Shivakumar and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy facilitated donations to Young Indian.
Several advertisers reportedly told investigators that they placed congratulatory ads for Congress leaders at the request of party officials rather than for business purposes.
