BJP Accuses Congress of Rs 36 Crore Bogus Rent in National Herald Case
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Synopsis
The BJP has accused the Congress of receiving Rs 36 crore in bogus advance rent linked to the National Herald case. BJP spokesperson Pratyush Kanth detailed the alleged corruption methods and pointed out issues with donations received by Young India from non-existent entities.
Key Takeaways
- BJP alleges Rs 36 crore in bogus advance rent.
- Corruption methods included fake rent agreements.
- Younger India received questionable donations.
- ED probe revealed discrepancies in financial dealings.
- Investigation was initiated in 2021 based on a complaint.
New Delhi, April 19 (NationPress) The BJP intensified its scrutiny of the Congress regarding the National Herald money laundering investigation, asserting that the newspaper's parent entity received fraudulent advance rent payments amounting to Rs 36 crore from numerous parties and shell companies.
BJP National Spokesperson Pratyush Kanth stated, “Corruption in the National Herald case was perpetrated in three primary ways: through fictitious rent contracts, advance rent agreements, and fraudulent advertisements.”
He mentioned that AJL received fake advance rent payments totaling Rs 36 crore from various parties, some of whom purportedly acted under the direction of Congress officials. There were no legitimate rent agreements, and the entities involved were mere shells often utilized in hawala transactions.
With a hearing in a special Delhi court set for April 25 regarding the ED's prosecution complaint against Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Kanth remarked: “Young India, a privately held company beneficially owned by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi with a 76 percent stake, received questionable donations totaling Rs 18.12 crore from various individuals and organizations that were found to be non-existent.”
He further explained that when the ED attempted to contact these alleged donors, it discovered that these donors were not real.
“The funds donated were illicit and were utilized as a facade for concealing such assets,” he asserted, undermining the defense of some Congress leaders who claimed that the ED's allegations against the Gandhis were ‘politically motivated’ due to the absence of any transaction in the case.
Referring to fraudulent advertisements for which National Herald received payments from certain Congress state governments, Kanth noted that the Himachal Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, paid Rs 2 crore for publishing government ads in a newspaper that is neither printed nor circulated.
The ED investigation further uncovered that Young Indian acquired National Herald or Associated Journals Limited (AJL) properties valued at Rs 2,000 crore for just Rs 50 lakh, significantly underestimating its actual worth.
The ED probe also indicated that Young Indian and AJL assets were exploited to generate additional proceeds of crime in the form of fraudulent donations amounting to Rs 18 crore, bogus advance rent of Rs 36 crore, and false advertisements worth Rs 29 crore.
The ED investigation began in 2021, based on a cognizance order issued on June 26, 2014, by the Metropolitan Magistrate Patiala House Courts in New Delhi, following a private complaint lodged by Subramanian Swamy.
The complaint illuminated a criminal conspiracy involving several high-profile political figures, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, and Young Indian in an alleged money laundering case.
