Chargesheet Filed Against Journalist Rana Ayyub Over Alleged Money Laundering
NDTV
Journalist Rana Ayyub - a vocal critic of the ruling BJP - has dismissed the allegations of money laundering as a "smear campaign" against her
Journalist Rana Ayyub, a fierce critic of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been named in a chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate over alleged money laundering linked to funds that she collected from the public for social welfare work, including COVID-19 relief.
The Enforcement Directorate alleged Ms Ayyub ran three campaigns on the crowdfunding website Ketto in April 2020, a month after the first COVID-19 lockdown started, and collected approximately Rs 2.69 crore.
The probe agency said Ms Ayyub received money from abroad without having registered with the authority for Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, or FCRA, which acts as India's watchdog as well as a rulebook to prevent misuse of donations flowing in from outside the country.
The Enforcement Directorate, or ED, said donations were channelled into the bank accounts of Ms Ayyub's father and sister, and subsequently transferred to her personal accounts. She created a fixed deposit of Rs 50 lakh and sent Rs 50 lakh to a new account, the ED said, adding only Rs 29 lakh was used for social welfare work.
