ED records statement of Mallikarjun Kharge in Associated Journals and Young Indian case

The Congress leader is office-bearer of Associated Journals, therefore, his statement has to be recorded, says official

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday recorded the statement of Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in a case involving the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and Young Indian.

“Mr. Kharge is one of the office-bearers of the AJL and, therefore, his statement had to be recorded. The case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act was registered about eight months ago, based on the cognisance of the matter taken by a court concerned,” said an official.

The move comes days after the Delhi Bench of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal upheld the Income Tax re-assessment order against Young Indian.

Earlier, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had moved the court alleging that the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi had fraudulently acquired AJL assets and transferred them to Young Indian.

As per court records, the Congress had loaned about ₹90 crore to the AJL on interest-free basis over a period of time. It later assigned the debt to Young Indian, in which Ms. Gandhi and her son owned 38% shares each. Young Indian paid ₹50 lakh to the Congress for transferring the ₹90-crore debt to it.

The ED is probing another case related to the AJL and others, involving alleged illegal re-allotment of a Panchkula plot to the company during the tenure of the then Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. In that case, the agency had attached assets worth ₹64 crore that was confirmed by the PMLA Adjudicating Authority in May 2020.

In May 2019, the agency had attached a nine-storey building in Mumbai, having two basements and total built-up area of 15,000 square metres, worth ₹16.38 crore.