New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate questioned and recorded the statement of Alankar Sawai, a close aide of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a money laundering case in which TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale was recently arrested by the agency in Gujarat, officials said. He said Sawai was interrogated and Gokhale was confronted for three days in Ahmedabad earlier this week.
Sawai, a former banker, is considered a close aide of Gandhi, the former Congress president, and is asked to lead his research team. The federal probe agency had summoned Sawai after arresting 35-year-old Gokhale on January 25 while he was in Gujarat police custody in connection with alleged financial irregularities in raising funds through a crowd funding platform.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), while seeking Gokhale’s remand that day, informed an Ahmedabad court that when asked about Rs 23.54 lakh deposited in cash in his bank account over a year, Gokhale told the agency Told that “this was the amount.” Given in cash by Alankar Sawai of Indian National Congress for social media work and other consultancy”.
When asked why Sawai paid him in cash, Gokhale said only Sawai can answer that question, the ED told the court in its remand paper.
“Further, when asked about any written agreement with Alankar Sawai regarding the social media work, he stated that it was only an oral agreement with Alankar Sawai,” the agency said.
The ED alleged that these cash deposits were received by Gokhale when he was a member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Sawai is understood to have been questioned about these cases and his statement recorded under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Official sources said the questioning and face-to-face of the two did not help them trace the trail of the funds, as stated by Gokhale, even as Sawai allegedly denied any cash payment Was.
TMC spokesperson @Saket GokhaleThe man who certified every Modi supporter as a “paid troll” has admitted that he was paid ₹23 lakh in cash by a close aide of Rahul Gandhi for “social media work”.
It would be interesting to know whether Saket Gokhale represents TMC or Congress?? pic.twitter.com/TmXx2EFMMy— Priti Gandhi (@MrsGandhi) January 26, 2023
The money laundering case against Gokhale stems from an FIR by the Gujarat Police.
The state police had arrested Gokhale from Delhi in December last year in connection with alleged misappropriation of funds raised through crowd funding.
The ED had informed the Ahmedabad court that “huge amounts collected through crowd funding (by Gokhale) have been spent on speculative share trading, wining and dining and other personal expenses which appear to be extravagant in nature”. ”
Gokhale, however, denied that he had misused the money. The agency can interrogate more people related to the case.