PMLA authority upholds freezing of National Herald properties
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New Delhi: Allowing attachment of assets of Congress Party backed National Herald Newspaper, the Adjudicating Authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) upheld a freezing order issued on Rs 751.9 crore worth of its properties last year, The Indian Express (TIE) reported.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached the said properties after issuing a provisional attachment order in a PMLA case against Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), which publishes the National Herald newspaper, and Young Indian (YI), which owns the paper.
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have the major shares in the company YI, with each of them having 38 per cent shares.
ED has charged the YI with acquiring the AJL and its assets for “pittance” against an alleged loan extended by the Congress party. ED initiated action following a Delhi court's cognisance of a 2014 private complaint.
According to ED, the shareholders and donors of Congress were “cheated” by the office-bearers of AJL and the party, according to TIE.
ED said in a statement that it had issued an order to provisionally attach the properties.
In the case, ED questioned the Gandhis, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and some party leaders and recorded their statements in connection with the case.