National Herald case: ED issues notices to take possession of assets worth Rs 661 crore

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said it served notices to take possession of properties worth Rs 661 crore that it had attached as part of a money-laundering investigation against newspaper National Herald.

The properties are located in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow.

The central investigative agency had attached the properties in November 2023 through a provisional attachment order issued in a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The case has been filed against the newspaper’s publisher, Associated Journals Limited and its holding company, Young Indian Private Limited.

Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders of Young Indian, and hold shares of 38% each.

The Enforcement Directorate on April 11 issued notices to Registrars of Property in Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow as part of the proceedings to take possession of the properties. The agency said the action was taken “after extensive investigation…which revealed signification generation, possession and use of proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 988 crores”.

The Enforcement Directorate said that the properties were attached “to secure the proceeds of crime and to prevent the accused from dissipating the same”.

In response, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that “proper remedial action in the courts” will be taken against the agency’s action, The Indian Express reported.

“This is the continuation of the… proceedings where money laundering is...

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