"Open and shut case involving corruption": Union Minister Hardeep Puri slams Congress over National Herald case

New Delhi [India], April 18 (ANI): Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday hit out at Congress over the National Herald case stating that it "is an open and shut case involving corruption and money laundering".
The BJP leader also said that Congress leaders had been making contradictory statements on the issue and that the Congress workers will start protesting against their leaders "when they realise there is corruption within the party".
"This is an open and shut case involving fraud, corruption, and money laundering... National Herald was started under noble circumstances... The Congress party is issuing such contradictory statements. On April 16, Mallikarjun Kharge said that National Herald was shut down due to financial troubles and Sonia Gandhi tried to relaunch it with loans and donations... But their supreme family leader (Rahul Gandhi) said in 2012 that Young Indian has no intention of starting any newspaper," Puri told ANI.
"In a few days, when the Congress workers realise that there is corruption within the Congress party and their own leaders have been misguiding them, the Congress workers will themselves start protesting against their senior leaders. When Congress lawyers talk to us personally, they themselves express that 'kaha phas gaye hum?'... How much of the INDI alliance is even left now?" he asked.
Puri accused the Congress of "misutilising" provisions in law concerning charity.
"When we inspected their building in 2016 (Plot number 5A on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, allotted to AJL), we found that no printing activity happened there, building was vacant, the ground and first floor were rented out to the passport office, and second and third floor were rented out to Tata Consultancy Services, and fourth floor was being used by the AJL (Associated Journals Limited)... They have misutilised the provisions in our law for charity... Now that the ED has brought charges, I think that justice will finally see the light of day," he said.
"This is an open and shut case involving fraud, corruption, and money laundering... National Herald was started under noble circumstances," he said.
On April 15, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against top Congress members Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in connection with the National Herald money laundering case.
The chargesheet also names Congress leader Sam Pitroda, Suman Dubey and others, including several firms.
The matter has been listed for arguments on cognisance in the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court on April 25.
The prosecution complaint has been filed under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, for the offence of money laundering, as defined under Section 3, read with Section 70, and punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA, 2002.
The complaint was filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, their associated companies, and other individuals. (ANI)