ED questions Rahul's aide in money laundering case against TMC functionary

The Enforcement Directorate has 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 saidSawai was questioned and also confronted with Gokhale in Ahmedabad over three days earlier this week they saidA former banker Sawai is considered to be a close aide of Gandhi a former Congress president and is stated to be heading his research teamThe federal probe agency summoned Sawai after it arrested 35yearold Gokhale on January 25 while he was in the Gujarat Polices custody in connection with alleged financial irregularities in raising funds through a crowd funding platformThe Enforcement Directorate ED while seeking Gokhales remand on that day had informed a Ahmedabad court that when he was asked about Rs 2354 lakh deposited in his bank account in cash over a year Gokhale had told the agency that this amount was given in cash by Alankar Sawai of the India National Congress for social media work and other consultancyAlso Read Aim of Bharat Jodo Yatra is to save liberal secular ethos of India Rahul GandhiOn being asked as to why Sawai had paid him in cash Gokhale stated that only Sawai can answer this question the ED told the court in its remand paperFurther on being asked regarding any written agreement with Alankar Sawai in respect of social media work he stated that it was only verbal agreement with Alankar Sawai the agency saidThe ED alleged that these cash deposits were recieved by Gokhale when he was a member of the Trinamool Congress TMCSawai is understood to have been questioned about these instances and his statement was recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act PMLAOfficial sources said the questioning and confronting of the two has not helped them unearth the fund trail as stated by Gokhale even as Sawai purportedly denied making any cash paymentsThe money laundering case against Gokhale stems from a Gujarat Police FIRThe state police arrested Gokhale from Delhi in December last year in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowdfundingThe ED had informed the Ahmedabad court that huge amount of money collected through crowd funding by Gokhale has been splurged on speculative share trading wining and dining and other personal expenses which appear to be extravagant in natureGokhale however had denied that he misused these fundsThe agency may question more people linked in the caseThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever