Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday admitted that he, along with his younger brother and former MP D.K. Suresh, had given money to the National Herald newspaper.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which filed a charge-sheet on April 9 against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, has alleged that they were beneficiaries of Rs 142 crore in "proceeds of crime" related to the acquisition of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) by Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) and Congress leaders, between 2019 and 2022, were “pressured” to donate funds to AJL and YI, in exchange for “political favours”.
The Gandhi family owns 76 per cent stakes in YI, alleged ED. The DK brothers and Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy have been listed among the leaders who allegedly facilitated donations to the subsidiaries linked to the newspaper.
“It is a newspaper run by our party. My brother and I have given Rs 25 lakh to the publication. We have given donations from our Trust also. We have given our hard-earned money, there is nothing to conceal,” said Shivakumar, while speaking to reporters in Bengaluru.
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According to the charge-sheet, Young Indian acquired AJL’s assets worth approximately ₹2,000 crore for ₹50 lakh and that transaction constituted “money laundering” and “breach of trust” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). While Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have been named as Accused No 1 and No 2, Congress leaders Sam Pitroda and Suman Dubey are also named in the charge-sheet. The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court will hear the matter daily from July 2 to July 8.
The National Herald case began in 2012 following a complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and in November 2023, ED attached properties worth ₹751.9 crore linked to AJL and YI.
