Rouse Avenue Court Schedules Daily Hearings for National Herald Case from July 2 to 8

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The hearing in the money laundering case related to National Herald in the Rouse Avenue Court concluded on Wednesday. The next hearing of the case in Rouse Avenue Court will be held daily from 2nd to 8th July. Senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi presented arguments in the court on behalf of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Singhvi demanded that the hearing be postponed till July. Singhvi said that he recently received the copy of the charge sheet and it will take time to read it. The Enforcement Directorate has filed a charge sheet against Congress leaders in the money laundering case related to National Herald.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi's demand was opposed by ED lawyer ASG SV Raju. Raju said, the charge sheet copy was made available during the last hearing and the date of hearing was fixed on 21st. At that time, there was no demand to postpone the hearing but today suddenly such a demand is being made.

The court of Special Judge Vishal Gogane will hear the case daily from July 2 to July 8. ED's lawyer said that Sonia Gandhi has been made the first accused in the case while the second accused is Rahul Gandhi. The other five accused include Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise Private Limited and Sunil Bhandari.

The court has said that we will proceed with the hearing even without those accused who do not have any lawyer on their behalf. ASG Raju, citing Section 3 of PMLA, told the Court that the property was in possession of the accused. The rent coming from that property is also the proceeds of crime.

ED said, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi benefited by 142 crores in the National Herald money laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate said that a 'prima facie' case is made out against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. We will show with facts that the increase in the value of the proceeds of crime will also be included in the proceeds of crime.

ED alleges that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi's company Young Indian had acquired the properties of Associated Journal Press Limited worth more than Rs 2000 crore for just Rs 50 lakh. This is a fraud, in which illegal earnings of Rs 988 crore were made. The chargesheet has been filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Sections 3, 4, 44, 45 and 70 of the PMLA have been mentioned in it.

This is the first time that a charge sheet has been filed against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in any case. The ED had initiated an investigation against AJL and Young India under PMLA in 2014 on the orders of a metropolitan magistrate. The ED has seized assets worth about Rs 751.9 crore of AJL and Young Indian.