Sat Apr 12 10:48:07 UTC 2025: ## ED Seizes Congress-Linked Properties in National Herald Money Laundering Case

**New Delhi, [Date]** – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken possession of properties worth ₹661 crore linked to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), publisher of the National Herald newspaper, in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation. Notices were affixed Friday at key locations including Herald House in Delhi, a Bandra, Mumbai property, and an AJL building in Lucknow.

The action, taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), follows the confirmation of a provisional attachment order issued in November 2023. The ED’s investigation, launched in 2021 based on a 2014 court order stemming from a complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, alleges a criminal conspiracy involving significant figures within the Congress party.

The complaint centers on the alleged fraudulent takeover of AJL properties valued at over ₹2000 crore. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, majority shareholders of Young Indian Private Limited (which owns the National Herald), are implicated in the alleged scheme. The ED’s investigation uncovered the generation, possession, and use of proceeds of crime totaling ₹988 crore, leading to the seizure of the assets. The ED’s statement confirms that the Adjudicating Authority confirmed the attachment order on April 10, 2024. The seized assets include immovable properties and AJL shares.

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