Saket Gokhale has been positioned in ED custody until January 31 by a particular courtroom.
New Delhi:
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale allegedly splurged greater than Rs 1.07 crore collected by crowdfunding for social causes, on wining, eating and different private bills, the Enforcement Directorate has claimed. The cash included over Rs 23 lakh in money from an aide of Congress’s Rahul Gandhi.
The company, which is investigating the funds misuse, made the claims earlier than a Gujarat courtroom on Wednesday after it arrested the 35-year-old from the Sabarmati jail.
Mr Gokhale was lodged within the jail by the Gujarat police, who arrested him twice in three days in December, in reference to the alleged irregularities within the crowdfunding initiative. He has been positioned in ED custody until January 31 by the particular courtroom.
Sources mentioned the company has summoned Alankar Sawai, an aide of Rahul Gandhi in reference to the probe. Throughout questioning, Saket Gokhale had mentioned that he was paid Rs 23.54 lakh in money by Alankar Sawai for dealing with social media. Between 2019-2022, he collected Rs 1.07 crore by crowdfunding, which he spent on private bills, sources mentioned.
Alankar Sawai has hunted for extra time to seem earlier than the company, citing the continuing Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Mr Sawai, a former banker, is an in depth aide of Rahul Gandhi and heads his analysis workforce. Requested why Alankar Sawai paid him in money, Mr Gokhale mentioned “Solely Alankar Sawai can reply this query,” the ED advised courtroom, reported information company Press Belief of India.
The company advised the courtroom that Mr Gokhale allegedly ready a bogus digital doc within the identify of an establishment as ‘OurDemocracy.in’ by which he collected funds from the complainant and different individuals by a personal firm named GiantTreeTech Personal Restricted.
The cash “has been splurged on speculative share buying and selling, wining and eating and different private bills which look like extravagant in nature,” the ED mentioned.
Denying that he has used the funds for private bills, Mr Gokhale mentioned he invested the funds in share market so he would not have to boost extra funds. The company advised the courtroom that Mr Gokhale is “not cooperating”.
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