New Delhi, April 15: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and several others in connection with the National Herald money laundering case involving alleged financial irregularities amounting to ₹988 crore. As per agency report, the chargesheet was submitted before Special Judge Vishal Gogne on April 9, and the court has scheduled the next hearing for April 25 to examine key aspects of the case.

The chargesheet also names Congress leaders Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey as accused, along with entities such as Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd, and Sunil Bhandari. The ED's Special Public Prosecutor N.K. Matta submitted the charges under sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which pertain to money laundering and associated penalties.

The special court, designated for hearing cases involving MPs and MLAs, noted that the predicate offence—being separately investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)—is linked to the same set of allegations. The ED informed the court that it intends to move an application to the District Judge for transferring the CBI-related case to Judge Gogne's court to consolidate the trial.

The ED has argued that the same court must hear both the predicate offence and the money laundering charges arising from it. The court echoed this view and observed that since Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are members of Parliament, a unified judicial process is essential.

Judge Gogne directed the court staff to ensure that all documents are properly paginated and instructed the ED to submit a readable soft copy of the case file by the next hearing. The case file related to the predicate offence will also be called for review.

The ED recently stated that it has issued notices to take possession of immovable properties worth ₹661 crore allegedly linked to money laundering in the National Herald case. The properties are reportedly tied to Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald, which is owned by Young Indian Pvt. Ltd.

According to the ED, the investigation began in 2021 following a 2014 complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in Delhi's Patiala House Court. The complaint accused Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, along with other prominent Congress leaders and associates, of criminal conspiracy and financial misappropriation involving assets worth over ₹2,000 crore.

The agency alleges that Young Indian, in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each hold 38 percent of shares, acquired control of AJL's assets for just ₹50 lakh. These assets, according to the ED, include properties across several cities and are valued far beyond the acquisition cost.

The ED also claims that Young Indian and AJL were used to generate proceeds of crime through fake donations worth ₹18 crore, fictitious advance rentals of ₹38 crore, and bogus advertisements amounting to ₹29 crore.

Both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have previously been questioned for several hours by the ED in connection with this case. The agency asserts that despite various legal challenges to the investigation, both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court have upheld the proceedings, allowing the probe to continue.

The case has reignited political controversy, with implications for the Congress leadership ahead of national elections. The court will further evaluate the matter on April 25, when the ED is expected to present the full case diary and supporting documentation.

New Delhi/Bengaluru, March 18 – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches on Tuesday at locations linked to the Open Society Foundation (OSF), backed by American billionaire George Soros, in Bengaluru. The raids were carried out as part of an investigation into alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), official sources confirmed.

As per agency report, ED officials searched the premises of OSF and several international human rights organizations over concerns related to foreign funding. The investigation focuses on alleged foreign direct investment (FDI) received by OSF and its misuse by certain beneficiaries in violation of FEMA guidelines.

As per agency reports, there has been no official response from OSF regarding the ED action.

Soros, a Hungarian-American political activist and philanthropist, has been a controversial figure in Indian political discourse. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused Soros and OSF of working against India's interests. His remarks during the Adani-Hindenburg controversy had also drawn strong criticism from the party.

OSF has been operating in India since 1999, primarily funding civil society initiatives and advocacy programs. The ED’s investigation is expected to further scrutinize its financial activities and compliance with Indian regulations.

New Delhi, March 01 - The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized securities worth Rs 580 crore and cash and valuables worth Rs 3.64 crore from a Dubai-based hawala businessman in connection with the money laundering case related to Mahadev App.

In a statement shared on Friday, the Enforcement Directorate revealed that securities worth Rs 580 crore and assets worth Rs 3.64 crore of a Dubai-based hawala businessman have been seized in the money laundering case related to Mahadev App. The ED had conducted raids at over 15 locations, including Kolkata, Gurugram, Delhi, Indore, Mumbai, and Raipur on February 28, as part of this case.

The investigation into the Mahadev online gaming and betting app has allegedly uncovered the involvement of various high-ranking leaders and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh, according to the ED. During the raids, the Central Investigation Agency has targeted a money laundering network associated with the Mahadev Online Book, seizing cash worth Rs 1.86 crore, Rs 1.78 crore, and proceeds of crime worth Rs 580.78 crore.

The Enforcement Directorate stated that a significant amount of incriminating evidence, including digital data and identification of properties, has been seized during the searches. The total seizure and freezing in this case now amount to Rs 1296.05 crore.

The agency's investigation focuses on a money laundering case involving "Mahadev Online Book," which allegedly facilitates illegal betting websites in enrolling new users, creating user IDs, and laundering funds through a complex network of anonymous bank accounts.

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said that it has carried out searches at 14 premises located at Ahmedabad, Kachchh, Navsari, and Delhi against the controllers of a web-based gaming application named 'Dani Data' and others wherein the main conspirator is a Chinese national.

The ED in a statement said that the searches were conducted on Wednesday at 14 locations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002.

According to the ED, the controllers of the web-based mobile application offered guaranteed returns against the investments made by the public, with a minimum return of 0.75 per cent per game thereby alluring the complainant and other persons to make investments with them.

The agency said that thousands of persons were allured in this way and they made deposits through the app, and when a considerable amount was deposited through the app, the accused removed the application from the Google Play Store.

“From the chargesheet filed by the Gujarat police, it is revealed that the main accused (Chinese National) conspired with his associates in India and thereby cheated and dishonestly induced thousands of investors to dupe them of crores of rupees,” the ED said.

“The search operation resulted in recovery and seizure of various incriminating documents, electronic devices etc,” it said.

The ED registered a case on the basis of an FIR registered by the Cyber Crime Police Station at Palanpurin Gujarat’s Banaskantha district against the controllers of the web-based application and others.

ED investigation revealed that there are various FIRs registered against this app.

The said gaming application was created by the accused Chinese national and his accomplices and was available for use from December 2021. It was made available on the Google Play Store from May 26 2022 to May 31, 2022, and the app stopped working from June 2022.

New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday responded to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), alleging that its summons appeared to be "politically motivated" and were issued for "extraneous considerations".

In his official response on Thursday to the ED summons, Kejriwal expressed his concerns regarding the lack of clarity about the capacity in which he was being summoned, whether as a witness or a suspect in the case.

Kejriwal's response to the summons, dated October 30, reads, "I am in receipt of your summons dated 30.10.2023… I have been directed to appear before your good-self on 02.11.2023 at 11:30 am. The said summons have been issued u/s 50 PMLA."

“The said summons is not clear as to the capacity in which I am being summoned i.e. as a witness or a suspect in the above- mentioned case. The said summons fails to provide details in relation to the File bearing F. No. ECIR/HIUII/14/2022 or the reason that I have been summoned therein, or any details thereof,” he further states. 

Furthermore, Kejriwal expressed his concerns about the nature of the summons, stating, “The said summons does not specify whether I am being summoned as an individual or in my official capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi or as National Convenor of AAP and appears to be in the nature of a fishing and roving inquiry.” 

“The said summons appear to be motivated and issued for extraneous considerations. Simultaneous to the summons, in the afternoon of 30.10.2023, BJP leaders started making statements that soon I would be summoned and arrested. By the evening of that day, I received your summons,” he alleged. 

“It is thus apparent that the said summons was leaked to select BJP leaders to malign my image and reputation and has been issued at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre. Illustratively, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari openly stated in the afternoon of 30.10.2023, i.e. the same day on which the said summons have been issued to me, that I will be arrested and the same has been widely reported in the media,” Kejriwal further stated. 

In his response, Kejriwal highlighted his current roles, stating, "I am the incumbent Chief Minister of the Govt. of NCT of Delhi and National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, i.e. the ruling party in the State of NCT of Delhi." He also mentioned the upcoming elections in several states and the need for his political campaigning and governance commitments.

Kejriwal concluded his response by requesting the recall of the "vague and motivated" summons, which he claimed was "unsustainable in law".

Mumbai, Nov 1 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted its charge sheet in the Canara Bank's Rs 538-crore fraud case naming Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, his wife Anita Goyal, and four other companies, officials said.

The charge sheet, filed before a Special Court, came two months after Goyal's arrest on September 1 in the Canara Bank complaint of November 2022 alleging that loans given for the airline were allegedly diverted for personal expenses and clearing his private liabilities.

The matter is likely to come up for further hearing on Wednesday.

The bank's complaint to the CBI in early May 2023 - based on a forensic audit of the company for the period April 2011-June 2019 - led to the ED case on May 10, 2023 under the PMLA as the money-laundering angle emerged in the alleged scam.

After Jet Airways started defaulting on repayments, Canara Bank declared it as a non-performing asset in 2019 and the ED claimed that the loan amount of Rs 538-crore was diverted and siphoned off.

Goyal, 74, was arrested by the ED on September 1, and is currently lodged at the Arthur Road Central Jail in judicial custody, even as he has made an application challenging his "illegal" arrest in the case.

The ED has contended that the Goyal allegedly diverted company's funds, appointing his family members as employees, paying salaries of a company floated by his daughter, paying huge amounts of professional and consultancy fees, dubious expenses, etc to the tune of around Rs 1,000-crore, and unaccounted transactions with payments made to foreign accounts.

New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said that it has attached properties worth Rs 134.02 crore in the form of 1000 non-convertible redeemable preference shares of face value Rs 200 each of KFin Technologies Ltd (KFintech) held in the name of son of C. Parthasarathy, the CMD of Karvy Stock Broking Ltd, in a money laundering case.

The ED said on Thursday in a statement that the properties worth Rs 134.02 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on October 23. 

The financial probe agency had registered a case on the basis of FIRs registered by the CCS Hyderabad Police, alleging that KSBL availed loans by illegally pledging its clients' shares worth about Rs 2,800 crore and did not repay the said loans which were subsequently declared as NPA and fraud accounts.

It said that the loans funds were diverted to related companies like -- Karvy Data Management Services Ltd., Karvy Realty India Ltd., etc. which was otherwise than for stated purpose and the diverted loan funds were routed via multiple defunct NBFCs to Karvy Financial Services Limited (an NBFC of the Karvy Group) to wash its bad debt accounts or NPAs. 

 "ED probe found that Parthasarathy had special privileges rights to subscribe to additional equity shares of KFin Technologies Ltd. (Kfintech) at a pre-determined price as per the Shareholders Agreement dated Augist 3, 2017. In consideration for termination of Shareholders Agreement and extinguishment of all such rights, KFintech allotted 1000 non-convertible redeemable preference shares in name of Adhiraj Parthasarathy, son of C. Parthasarathy, at par on October 25, 2021," the agency said.

It added that the actual redemption premium or termination fee agreed upon was Rs 164 crore. 

"However, the amount was decreased by Rs 30 crore as Kfintech discovered certain unauthorised transfers of shares of Petronet LNG Limited to the demat accounts of KSBL and Karvy Consultants Limited (KCL) and thus triggering the indemnity payout clause of the said mutual agreement. Hence, these shares were redeemable after a period of two years at a net redemption premium of Rs 134.02 crore," the ED said. 

The ED probe also found that the said issuance of Redeemable Preference Shares is in lieu of the rights and privileges enjoyed by Parthasarthy in Kfintech and thus he has the primary right or ownership of the said consideration received. 

"Parthasarathy and his concerns had made an arrangement that the said consideration from KFintech are taken in the name of Adhiraj Parthasarathy as he is not an accused in the FIRs. Further, the said property in the form of Redeemable Preference Shares were concealed by Adhiraj Parthasarathy and were not deliberately disclosed in his submissions made before the ED during the course of investigation," the agency said.

The ED has so far attached assets worth Rs. 2,229.56 crore.