ED questions Rahul Gandhi for second consecutive day

The Enforcement Directorate questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for over ten hours for the second consecutive day on Tuesday in the National Herald case. He has been summoned again for questioning on Wednesday.

People in the know alleged that Gandhi 'failed to give satisfactory replies' to questions. The Congress has dubbed the case as 'political vendetta' against the Gandhi family.

Gandhi reached the ED headquarters on Tuesday with his sister Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra at around 11 am. He was quizzed for over four hours after which he was given an hour's lunch break. He returned to the ED office at around 4:30 pm for further questioning.


Gandhi is being quizzed about his association with Associated Journals Limited and Young Indian. Gandhi was asked about details of shares in his name and assets belonging to AJL and National Herald. Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi is slated to appear before the agency on June 23.

ED recorded Gandhi's statement under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. A statement recorded under the section is admissible in a court of law. Gandhi was quizzed by a team of three senior ED officials led by an Assistant Director.

The case relates to an equity transaction in which Sonia Gandhi and son are accused of 'misappropriating AJL assets worth over ₹2,000 crore' by paying just ₹50 lakh. A probe by the Income-Tax Department against the Congress leaders stemmed from a private complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2013. ED registered a fresh case under the criminal provisions of PMLA after a trial court took cognisance of the I-T department probe.

Swamy alleged that the Gandhis 'cheated' and 'misappropriated funds' in the 'acquisition' of the National Herald newspaper, published by AJL and owned by Young Indian. The National Herald launched by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was published by AJL and was in 2010 taken over by Young Indian.