Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 15: In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in the National Herald money laundering case against senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and party veteran Sam Pitroda. The chargesheet was submitted before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court.

Apart from the Gandhis and Pitroda, the ED has also named Suman Dubey and several others in the chargesheet. The case pertains to alleged financial irregularities involving Young Indian Pvt Ltd and Associated Journals Ltd, the company that publishes the National Herald newspaper.

The court has listed the matter for hearing on April 25, when it will take up arguments on whether to take cognisance of the charges filed by the central agency.

The ED has been probing the matter under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for several years, alleging that Young Indian took over the assets of Associated Journals Ltd in a “malicious and unlawful” manner. Congress leaders, however, have repeatedly claimed that the case is politically motivated and aimed at targeting the opposition.

With the chargesheet now filed, the case is set to take a new legal course, even as the Congress party gears up to defend its top leadership in court.