The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Saket Gokhale misused more than Rs 1.07 crore of funds collected through crowdfunding, including over Rs 23 lakh ($31,564) cash deposits from an aide of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on personal expenses such as wining and dining, news agency PTI reported.
The ED claims that Gokhale allegedly prepared a fake electronic document in the name of an institution, "OurDemocracy.in," and used a private company named GiantTreeTech Private Limited to collect funding from the public. Gokhale allegedly then used these funds for personal expenses. Gokhale was arrested and sent to ED custody till January 31.
Gokhale's statement was recorded by the ED on four different dates in January. According to the ED, a sum of Rs 1,07,30,113 was received by Gokhale in his bank accounts between June, 2019 and October, 2022. The agency informed the court that when Gokhale was asked about Rs 23.54 lakh deposited in his bank account in cash over a period of one year, Gokhale stated that "this amount was given in cash by Alankar Sawai of the India National Congress for social media work and other consultancy."
Sawai, a former banker, is a close aide of former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and heads his research team.
The ED also claimed that these cash deposits were received by Gokhale when he was a member of the TMC, led by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. He had joined the party on August 8, 2021.
