Sonia Gandhi appears before ED for second round of questioning

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday appeared before Enforcement Directorates ED for her second round of questioning in the money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaperShe reached the federal agencys office in Vidyut Lane flanking the APJ Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi around 11 am accompanied by her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi VadraWhile Priyanka Gandhi stayed back at the ED office Rahul Gandhi left soon afterThe 75year old Gandhi was questioned for over two hours during her first day of questioning in the case on July 21 where she replied to 28 questions put forth by the agencyThe questioning pertains to the charge of alleged financial irregularities in the Congresspromoted Young Indian Private Limited which owns the National Herald newspaperAlso read Sonia Gandhis ED questioning Congress leaders to meet to chalk out strategyOfficials have said all Covidappropriate protocols have been put in place for the highprofile session like stationing of doctors and an ambulance Covid negative certificates of investigators and proper physical distancing between Gandhi and the team of investigatorsThe Congress has slammed the agencys action against its top leadership and termed it as political vendettaThe Delhi Police deployed a huge force including CRPF and RAF personnel and barricade the entire over one kilometre stretch between her residence and the ED office Traffic restrictions were also imposed in the areaRahul Gandhi has also been questioned by the ED in this case last month in sessions that clocked over 50 hours over five daysThe move to question the Gandhis was initiated after the ED late last year registered a fresh case under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering ActThis was after a trial court here took cognisance of an Income Tax department probe against Young Indian based on a private criminal complaint by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders in Young Indian Like her son the Congress president too has 38 per cent shareholdingSwamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds with Young Indian paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 9025 crore that Associate Journals Limited owed to the CongressIn February last year the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Gandhis seeking their response on Swamys pleaCongress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal were questioned by the ED in the case in AprilThe Congress has maintained there has been no wrongdoing and Young Indian is a notforprofit company established under section 25 of the Companies Act and hence there can be no question of money launderingIt is understood that Rahul Gandhi during his deposition before the ED stuck to the position that there was no personal acquisition of assets by himself or his familyAccording to the ED assets worth about Rs 800 crore are owned by the AJL and the agency wants to know from the Gandhis how a notforprofit company likeYoung Indian was undertaking commercial activities of renting out its land and building assetsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever