Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

BJP leader and Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Smriti Irani held a press conference yesterday and made allegations against Congress leader Kapil Sibal’s involvement in acquiring a large tract of land through a company that was owned by a person who has been charged with money laundering.

Irani referred to a report on an online news portal named OpIndia to show that Sibal and his wife Promila had owned 50% stake in a company called Grande Castello Pvt. Ltd., whose parent company was Worlds Window Impex India Pvt. Ltd., a company that was controlled by Delhi-based Piyoosh Goyal.

She pointed out that Goyal is accused in a money laundering case which is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged involvement in bribing a senior State Bank of India employee for receiving illegal kickbacks during the UPA regime.

The Union Minister stated that Sibal and his wife had indirectly acquired land worth Rs. 89 crores by paying much less than that to purchase significant stake in Grande Castello, the company which owns that land and is controlled by money laundering-accused  Piyoosh Goyal.

“Rahul Gandhi and Kapil Sibal should explain if it is so natural for them to embrace a money launderer and shake hands with those whom they had investigated for bribery,” Smriti Irani said during her address to the media.

Kapil Sibal reacted to these charges later in the day and rejected them out rightly, and even went to the extent of filing a defamation suit against the website that first broke this story. He said, “I bought a company and paid for it from my income. I earn well. My income tax returns are up to date. You do not want to see records and allege money laundering.”

By dhruv