US-based online news aggregator and blog, Huffington Post announced a report claiming that the Indian politician Sonia Gandhi was the world’s 12th richest political leader. The report garnered plenty of criticism, after which Gandhi’s name has been removed from the list in question.
The report published by the Huffington Post carries a footnote at the bottom of the article, which states, “Sonia Gandhi and the former emir of Qatar Hamid bin Khalifa al-Thani have been removed from this list. Gandhi was originally included based on a listing on a third party site which was subsequently called into question. Our editors have been unable to verify the amount, removed the link, and regret any confusion.”
The official website of Huffington Post World reported that Sonia Gandhi has USD 2 billion wealth, which is more than what Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Syria President Bashar-al-Assad have. However, the report did not mention how it came to this conclusion.
The Russian president Vladimir Putin topped the list with riches worth USD 40 billion and is followed by Bhumibol Adulyadej, the king of Thailand, as well as Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei. The affidavit of Sonia Gandhi mentioned that she has Rs. 75,000 in cash and Rs. 28.61 lakh in bank deposits.
Photo Credits: Deccan Chronicle
