NewsClick: ED probes Prakash Karat-billionaire Singham email exchanges, funds transfer to journalists

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Neville Roy Singham and senior CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat are under the scanner of the ED as part of its money laundering probe against news portal NewsClick which is alleged to have received dubious funds from the businessman to spread Chinese propaganda, official sources said on Thursday. The federal financial investigation agency is also probing the alleged transfer of funds of about Rs 40 lakh from NewsClick to the family members of activist Teesta Setalvad, transfer of about Rs 72 lakh to journalist and author Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, some employees of NewsClick and few independent media persons over a period of time.

It had found that NewsClick also allegedly paid Rs 17.08 lakh as «salary» to jailed activist Gautam Navlakha, Rs 97.32 lakh to Bappaditya Sinha, a shareholder in NewsClick and a member of the IT cell of the CPI(M) over an unspecified period. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), according to the sources, is investigating the «end use» of these funds.

The online news portal and its activities came under the spotlight again after a recent New York Times report claimed that the outlet was part of a global network that received funding from Singham, who allegedly works closely with the Chinese government media machine. The report was also raised in Parliament when BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said early this week that the funds pumped into NewsClick were used to create an anti-India environment and that he had documents pertaining to email exchanges between Karat and Singham.