The Enforcement Directorate has levelled grave accusations against Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. They have asserted that he not only refurbished but also resided in a property in London which is suspected to be the result of money laundering in a case against alleged middleman Sanjay Bhandari.
Bhandari absconded to the UK in 2016 and the British government sanctioned his extradition to India in January this year following legal requests from the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Both agencies are probing allegations of money laundering and tax evasion against Bhandari for holding undisclosed assets abroad.
In a significant development, the federal agency implicated Vadra for the first time in this case. They issued a statement declaring that they have filed a fresh charge sheet against C C or Cheruvathur Chakutty Thampi, a UAE-based NRI businessman, and UK national Sumit Chadha. Thampi was apprehended in January 2020 for being a “close associate” of Vadra.
The ED alleged that Sanjay Bhandari possessed various undisclosed foreign income and assets, including properties in London which are believed to be the proceeds of crime. They also asserted that Thampi and Chadha were involved in the concealment and utilization of these assets.
The investigation disclosed that Thampi is closely associated with Robert Vadra. He not only refurbished the London property but also resided in it. Additionally, both Vadra and Thampi were engaged in purchasing a substantial amount of land near Delhi and had financial transactions with each other.
Vadra, who is married to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has previously been interrogated by the ED and has denied any wrongdoing. The ED has stated that the Delhi court has taken cognisance of the supplementary prosecution complaint filed under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in November.
Furthermore, the court has issued summons to Thampi and Chadha and a non-bailable arrest warrant against Chadha, who has not cooperated with the probe. Bhandari’s niece, Puja Chadha, is married to Sumit Chadha, the UK national implicated in the case.
The ED filed the criminal case of money laundering against Bhandari and others in February 2017, taking cognisance of an Income Tax Department charge sheet filed against him under the anti-black money law of 2015. The ED elucidated in the supplementary charge sheet that Chadha assisted Bhandari in the concealment, acquisition, possession, and use of proceeds of crime and management of properties beneficially owned by Bhandari. The court has scheduled the matter to be heard on January 29 next year. (PTI)
