India: Sonia Gandhi, son Rahul summoned in money-laundering case, Congress party calls it conspiracy
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The assets in dispute belonged to a company that published the National Herald newspaper, which was created in 1937 by Jawaharlal Nehru, Rahul Gandhi's great grandfather and India's first prime minister
India's Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Indian National Congress (INC) party president Sonia Gandhi and her MP son Rahul Gandhi for questioning in a money laundering case worth millions of rupees. The case is linked to the National Herald newspaper. Rahul Gandhi has been asked to appear on June 2nd while Sonia Gandhi has been summoned to depose before the federal agency on June 8th. Speaking at a press conference, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the president will comply with the summons. Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, has requested a postponement till after June 5 on account of not being present in India at the moment.
Singhvi further called this a conspiracy on the part of the leading Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that "the Modi government should know that by registering such fake and fabricated cases, they cannot succeed in their cowardly conspiracy."
"The entire party and every worker will stand shoulder to shoulder with them and we will fight and win this attack on the country's democracy."
The summons is related to a nine-year-old complaint filed by Subramanian Swamy, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul.
Swamy, a lawmaker, accused the Gandhis of creating a shell corporation and obtaining ownership of properties worth $300 million unlawfully.
The assets in dispute belonged to a company that published the National Herald newspaper, which was created in 1937 by Jawaharlal Nehru, Rahul Gandhi's great grandfather and India's first prime minister.
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A case was registered to investigate potential financial irregularities at the party-backed Young Indian, which owns the National Herald newspaper.
Officials said the agency wants to record Sonia and Rahul Gandhi's comments under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
(With inputs from agencies)
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