- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sat, 12 Apr 2025 04:59 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday initiated the process to seize immovable assets worth Rs 661 crore that were earlier attached under the money laundering case against Associated Journal Limited (AJL), controlled by Congress.
As part of the process, the notices were issued seeking vacation of the premises in Mumbai's Bandra area, Herald House at Delhi's ITO, and AJL building in Lucknow's Bisheshwar Nath Road, the central probe agency said in a statement.
The action was taken under Section (8) and Rule 5(1) of the PMLA. The assets were attached in November 2023.
The agency said, "These properties were attached after extensive investigation by ED which revealed signification generation, possession and use of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 988 crore. Therefore, to secure the proceeds of crime and to prevent the accused from dissipating the same, the immovable properties of AJL located at Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow valued at Rs. 661 crore along-with the shares of AJL valued at 90.2 crores were attached by issuing provisional attachment order (PAO) dated 20.11.2023 by the Directorate of Enforcement and the same has been confirmed by the Ld. Adjudicating Authority on 10.04.2024."
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The case stems from a private complaint filed by former BJP MP Subramaniam Swamy in which the Metropolitan Magistrate Patiala House Courts issued orders on June 26, 2014. The ED began investigation into the case in 2021.
As per the complaint, a criminal conspiracy was allegedly hatched by prominent Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, among others, using a private company named Young India.
The National Herald is published by AJL, which is now owned by Young India Private Limited, in which the majority of shares, to the tune of 38 per cent, are held by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.