RaGa almost flunked ED’s written test

Mumbai: The ongoing questioning of Rahul Gandhi at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in New Delhi saw the Congress leader almost failing the written test and having to change two responses he wrote earlier.

“Rahul Gandhi had inadvertently responded to two questions asked of him in the ED questionnaire in a manner that would incriminate him for money laundering. The Congress leader then changed his earlier responses and wrote fresh answers. However, his new answers for the two queries still indicate his complicity as the ED suspected,” a person close to the development told First India.

The ED probe against Gandhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald newspaper case, as ordered to be registered by the Supreme Court of India, was the brainchild of BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy who pursued the matter before the apex court.

The last few days have witnessed Rahul Gandhi presenting himself before the ED after he was issued summons over financial transactions related to the National Herald newspaper case. Gandhi has also confirmed his acquaintance with a couple of accused in the case. It may be recalled that the central investigative agencies often resort to the written format of questioning. This was similarly invoked in 2008 by the customs dept in the Aishwarya Rai foreign funding case when a parcel posted to the Bollywood actor at her Khar residence in Mumbai was intercepted by the customs dept. The parcel--sent to the Foreign Post Office in Mumbai- -had contained close to Rs14 lakh in foreign currency (euros), designed apparel and electronic goods. Rai similarly had to appear for a written test before the customs department authorities in Mumbai, where she denied any knowledge about the said parcel.