National Herald Case Heats Up: ED Issues Notices to Seize Properties Worth Rs 661 Crore

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu):The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken major action in the National Herald money laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate said on Saturday that it has issued notices to take possession of immovable properties worth Rs 661 crore, which it had attached in the investigation of the money laundering case against the Congress-controlled Associated Journals Limited (AJL). The ED has sent notices to the property registrars of Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow.

Apart from this, notice has also been sent to Jindal South West Projects Limited in Mumbai's Herald House, which is on rent on the 7th, 8th and 9th floors of that building. Now they will have to deposit the rent every month to the ED. The central agency said in a statement that the notices to vacate the premises were pasted at Herald House located at ITO in Delhi, the premises located in Bandra area of ​​​​Mumbai and AJL Building located at Bisheshwar Nath Road in Lucknow. This action has been taken under section (8) and rule 5 (1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

ED investigation revealed that black money worth about Rs 988 crore has been earned in this case. For this reason, on 20 November 2023, the properties and shares of AJL were attached, which are worth about Rs 751 crore. This action has now been approved by the authorized court on 10 April 2024. This whole matter started with a complaint by Dr. Subramanian Swamy, in which he alleged that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and their associates usurped AJL's property worth Rs 2000 crore by paying just Rs 50 lakh. The investigation has also revealed that more than Rs 85 crore was also diverted through fake donations, false rent and fake advertisements. Now the ED has pasted notices to take possession of these properties and has started the process of taking possession of them. Let us tell you that National Herald is published by AJL and is owned by Young Indian Private Limited. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are the majority shareholders of Young Indian, each holding 38 percent shares.