New Delhi — Washington Post’s journalist Rana Ayyub landed in a money laundering case on Thursday as India’s Enforcement Directorate agency (ED) attached Rs. 17.7 million for misusing the donations for personal use.
Attaching a property means it cannot be transferred, converted or moved. According to the sources, probing agency ED said it had issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach a fixed deposit and bank accounts in her and her family’s name.
Complainant Vikas Sankrityayan alleged that Rana Ayyub had illegally acquired public money for Covid victims through online relief measure campaigns.
ED said that Ayyub received foreign donations without having any approval under FCRA (foreign contribution regulation act) which is mandatory to receive any funding from foreign countries.
Indian citizens can receive salaries from foreign entities for their obliged employment, but foreign gifts, donations and funds without FCRA will be deemed illegal.
The probing agency found that the Ayyub raised over Rs 26.9 million through an online crowdfunding platform called Ketto for charitable purposes between 2020 and 2021.
ED as well as the Income Tax department are further investigating the financial transactions in the matter.
