New Delhi, April 15 Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Tuesday described the ‘fake’ ED case related to National Herald as a “one-trick” wonder, slamming the alleged misuse of enforcement agencies for political vendetta.
“The government has launched a money laundering investigation without any movement of money or any movement of property or any activity that caused a transfer,” he said in a video statement, criticising the ED chargesheet filed against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, among others.
The MP said the “fake and non-existent” case will be contested in all aspects and hit out at the Government for exposing itself and its campaign of political vendetta through such things as there is “absolutely nothing in this case in a legal sense”.
“A not-for-profit company was created to manage the affairs of National Herald. Where no dividends can be paid, no commercial transactions take place,” he said, reiterating the Congress stand that no wrongdoing was done by the party or its leaders.
Singhvi said that the mere creation of the not-for-profit company has been treated as an act of money laundering.
The Enforcement Directorate filed a charge sheet in a special court in Delhi against Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the alleged National Herald or Associated Journals Limited (AJL) money laundering case.
The special court has fixed April 25 for hearing arguments on taking cognisance of the charge sheet.
The ED’s case results from a 2014 complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who alleged a criminal conspiracy involving the fraudulent acquisition of properties worth over Rs 2,000 crore belonging to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.
The ED claims that the accused, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, used a private company, Young Indian, to acquire AJL’s assets at a nominal price of Rs 50 lakh.
The agency claims that Young Indian, beneficially owned by the Gandhis, effectively took control of AJL’s properties while undervaluing their market worth.
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