Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda (File photo)

CHANDIGARH: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday filed a prosecution complaint against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda , senior Congress leader Moti Lal Vora, and Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), publisher of the National Herald newspaper, in the special CBI court in Panchkula, in a money laundering case.

While filing the prosecution complaint under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), in the court of special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh, which is also special court for ED, the deputy director of ED SK Kantiwal was also present in the court.

Though the court has not issued a notice, but the case has been adjourned for September 16 for consideration. Last month, the ED had questioned Hooda for over four hours in connection with AJL land allotment case.

The ED had maintained that the market value of the plot C-17, Sector 6, Panchkula, was Rs 64.93 crore but Hooda gave it away for Rs 59.39 lakhs. The ED had also issued provisional attachment order against the said property in December last year.

Hooda and Vora are also facing prosecution complaint by the CBI in AJL plot allotment case.

On December 1 last year, the CBI had filed a prosecution complaint against Hooda, Vora and AJL, in the special CBI court in Panchkula, for allegedly illegal re-allotment of land to AJL, in Panchkula in 2005.

As per the allegations, an industrial plot at Panchkula was illegally re-allotted to Associated Journal Ltd (AJL), which is reportedly controlled by senior Congress leaders including the Gandhi family through Young India Ltd. Founded by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru , AJL runs National Herald newspaper.

The allegations are that by abusing his position and against the legal opinion of authorities and advice of legal remembrancer for re-advertising the said plot, the plot was re-allotted to AJL by the then CM-cum-chairman Haryana urban development authority (HUDA) Bhupinder Singh Hooda in 2005 at original rates plus interest. allotment of plot caused loss to exchequer and wrongful enrichment to the company.

The CBI then filed an FIR under sections 409, 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code on the written requests of the Haryana government, the notification of the Union government and on the complaint of vigilance bureau. The FIR was registered by the CBI on April 6, 2017.



In Video: ED files prosecution complaint against Associate Journal Limited, ML Vora and BS Hooda