National Herald case: Sonia, Rahul named in ED charge sheet
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi — the first ever charge sheet against both leaders — in its money laundering investigation into the affairs of the party-run National Herald newspaper.
The charge sheet, filed before a Delhi court on April 9, mentions Sonia and Rahul Gandhi as accused number 1 and 2, respectively, under sections 3 and 4 (which deal with money laundering and its punishment) and section 70 (offences by companies) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act or PMLA.
The charges attract a maximum imprisonment of seven years if proved.
Besides the Gandhis, Sam Pitroda, the head of the Congress’ international arm, and Suman Dubey, a former journalist and close confidant of the Gandhis, who are founding directors of Young Indian Private Limited (YI) , a company in which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi together hold 76% percent stake , and the company itself, have also been named as accused, the people added.
A Kolkata based private company – Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd and its office bearer Sunil Bhandari, too have been named.