About time Sonia, Rahul are proved guilty: Swamy on National Herald case

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Subramanian Swamy, on Saturday, recorded his statement before a Delhi court in connection with the National Herald case.

Swamy who filed the case against Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi in 2012 while addressing the media, here said that it is about time that the accused Congress leaders are brought to book.

"The collusion is even more stark because the office bearers of the Congress party are same as the Board of Directors of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and as same the directors of Young Indians (YI) too," he said.

"The vast property of the AJL was allowed to swallowed by YI without having to pay anything. It is a crime and I have established it prima facie. It's time that they (Rahul, Sonia) are proved guilty," he added.

The Delhi High Court on August 8 refused to grant relief to Rahul Gandhi in regard with the case.

Rahul had challenged Income Tax authority's order to reopen his tax assessment related to the National Herald and Young India transactions.

The Income Tax department informed the High Court that the AICC gave Rs 99 crores to Associate Journal Ltd and added that Rahul willfully chose not to disclose that he held the director's post at the Young India.

To which the court said that it'll determine whether he was under an obligation to disclose these details or not.

However, on the other hand, the Congress President's lawyer asserted that Rahul did not receive any income from the source, hence he is not liable for any tax.

Rahul's counsel also asked the Court to restrain media from publishing the matter, however, the High Court refused to stay media reporting.

For those unversed, the National Herald scam is an ongoing case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, their companies and associated persons.

On January 20, the court of metropolitan magistrate Ambika Singh had ordered the documents submitted by the petitioner in the case, Swamy, to be kept in a sealed cover till next hearing.

Swamy, in his plea, alleged that the Congress party granted an interest-free loan of Rs. 90.25 crore to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), owner of the National Herald newspaper.

In November last year, the two Congress leaders filed their response to the application filed by Swamy.

In the response, they stated that the application filed by Swamy was not bonafide and filled with the sole object of "delaying the proceedings in a lifeless case".

The alleged National Herald scam grabbed headlines after Swamy filed a case in 2012 against the Congress, namely against Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi.