After Questioning Sonia & Rahul, ED searches National Herald Office, 9 Other Locations

New Delhi: Days after interrogating Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday searched 10 locations, including Herald House in Delhi’s Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, in the National Herald money-laundering case.

Herald House happens to be the registered office address of the newspaper and its publisher Associate Journals Limited (AJL), which is under investigation over its acquisition by the Gandhi family-owned firm called Young Indian.

Sonia was earlier questioned for three days and Rahul over five days by ED in connection with the case. Besides the mother and son, senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Pawan Bansal have also been quizzed in the National Herald case.

ED has been trying to find out the circumstances under which AJL was taken over by Young Indian in 2010 for a “pittance”.

Condemning the searches, Congress called it ‘vendetta politics’ against those who speak against the Modi government.

“The raids on Herald House, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg are a part of the continued attack against India’s principal opposition — Indian National Congress. We strongly condemn this vendetta politics against those who speak up against the Modi Govt. You cannot silence us!” tweeted Jairam Ramesh, Congress’ general secretary in-charge of communications.

The National Herald case is based on a complaint by BJP MP Subramnian Swamy in 2013, alleging cheating and misappropriation of funds by the Gandhis in acquiring the newspaper.

Sonia and Rahul were granted bail by the trial court on December 19, 2015.