The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, while interrogating Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case, asked about 28 questions during her interrogation that lasted two hours. The questions, according to sources close to the investigations, ranged from her stake in the Yong Indian Ltd. (YIL) and the transactions that her party had with Associated Journals Ltd. (AJL), the publishing company of the newspaper National Herald.
Among the most significant questions put before her by ED interrogators included her stake holding in the YIL, her role in YIL, the YIL’s work as a charitable entity and the assets AJL holds. Sources close to ED investigations told The Daily Guardianthat Sonia’s questioning mostly revolved around YIL, which was incorporated in 2010 with Rahul Gandhi as one of its directors. Rahul and his mother Sonia each hold 38% shares of YIL. The remaining 24% shares of the company under investigation are held by Congress Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, who are no more. The company is said to be a non-profit organisation.
In respect of YIL, the ED interrogators asked Sonia about her association with YIL, why she decided to hold 38% shares in YIL and why she became a director of the company under scrutiny? If YIL was a charitable company why no significant charity work was being done by the company? If Sonia knew how YIL took over the shareholding of AJL?
Apart from these questions, the ED officials investigating the case also asked Sonia about the transactions between her party and the AJL. According to the sources, the ED interrogators, among many other questions, asked Sonia about the assets the AJL had and the use they are being put to.