ED conducts searches at Young Indian office after sealing it to “preserve evidence”

|HT|

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted searches at the office of Young Indian in the national capital in the National Herald money laundering case a day after the same was sealed to “preserve evidence”. The searches were conducted after senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge appeared before the federal agency. The hours-long search at the Young Indian's office at the Herald House building were conducted in the presence of Kharge who was summoned by the ED at 12.30pm. Kharge was seen leaving the National Herald building around 8.30pm.

Officials are probing a money laundering case linked to the Congress-owned newspaper. During Question Hour, Kharge informed Parliament where the monsoon session is underway that he had been summoned the ED. The senior leader reached the Herald House building around 12:40pm and met ED officials on the summons of the agency which sought his attendance during the searches at the Congress-owned newspaper in his capacity of being the principal officer of the company. The Congress slammed the summons to the senior party leader in the middle of the Parliament session and protested against the issue in both the Houses.

The Congress said the ED move during the working hours of Parliament is an "insult" to the legislature and alleged that "Modishahi" is reaching a new low.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he is "not afraid of Narendra Modi" and will not be "intimidated" by the ED action in the National Herald case.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Kharge was called by the probe agency when Parliament is in session and he left around 12:20 pm and presented himself. "This is Modishahi reaching new lows," Ramesh tweeted.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are among the promoters and majority shareholders in Young Indian. The duo have been interrogated by the ED in the alleged money laundering case. The federal agency had put a temporary seal at the single-room office of the Young Indian, located on the ground floor of the four-storeyed Herald House building, to "preserve evidence" as it could not search it during the last two days because it was locked and authorised representatives were not available.

The searches at YI office which were on hold will be carried out now and any possible evidence available will be collected, officials said.

Besides sealing the newspaper's office, the Delhi police briefly barricaded the AICC office, the residence of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi's residences.

"These are attempts at intimidation," the Wayanad MP told reporters outside Parliament. "We will not be intimidated. We are not afraid of Narendra Modi." In his first response after the ED sealed the premises of Young Indian, Gandhi said, "They may do whatever they want. It does not matter. I will continue to work to protect the country and democracy and maintain harmony in the country. I will continue to do my work whatever they may do."

Later, in a tweet in Hindi, he wrote, "Truth cannot be barricaded. Do whatever you want, I am not afraid of the Prime Minister, I will always work in the interest of the country. Listen and understand!"

The office of the National Herald newspaper and web portal, where the editorial staff and administrative staff works, is located on the fourth floor of the Herald House building.

The newspaper is published by Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL) and its holding company is Young Indian. The newspaper office is registered in the name of AJL.

The ED had on Tuesday launched raids at a dozen locations, including at the Herald House, as part of its ongoing money laundering probe in the National Herald-AJL-Young Indian deal.

Agency officials had left the premises early on Wednesday after they collected some documents, digital data and questioned some staffers.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)