ED Takes Action On Key Properties In Herald Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated proceedings to take possession of properties linked to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case.

On April 11, the central probe agency issued notices to property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, where the assets of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), -- acquired by Young Indian Limited (YIL), a company beneficially owned by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi -- are located.

The notices, which seek vacation of the premises, were affixed at the Herald House at ITO in Delhi, at the premises in the Bandra area of Mumbai, and the AJL building located at Bisheshwar Nath Road in Lucknow, the central agency said in a statement. The action has been taken under Section (8) and Rule 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to the ED, the attachment follows investigations that revealed the alleged laundering of proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 988 crore, linked to AJL's assets. The proceedings were initiated after an Adjudicating Authority recently confirmed the earlier provisional attachment of the properties.

In November 2023, the ED provisionally attached immovable properties in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow -- valued at Rs 661 crore -- along with AJL shares worth Rs 90.2 crore. This attachment was confirmed on April 10.

The agency alleges that the assets were illegally acquired and laundered through a complex political-financial nexus involving the Congress leadership.

The ED’s probe, which formally began in 2021, stems from a private criminal complaint filed by Subramanian Swamy in 2014 before a Delhi court. The complaint accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other senior Congress leaders of orchestrating a fraudulent takeover of AJL’s properties -- estimated to be worth over Rs 2,000 crore -- through Young Indian for a nominal sum of Rs 50 lakh.

Despite legal challenges, both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court allowed the investigation to proceed. During the probe, the ED conducted searches and seizures at multiple locations and claimed to have uncovered documents pointing to additional layers of financial irregularities. Officials said the latest move is aimed at halting the continued enjoyment, use, and further generation of tainted assets.