NEW DELHI: A day after attaching his properties worth Rs 37 crore, the ED on Thursday filed a chargesheet against Robert Vadra, son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi , in a Rouse Avenue court here accusing him of laundering “proceeds of crime” in a Gurgaon land deal worth over Rs 58 crore.
Besides Vadra, ED has accused 11 others in its chargesheet against the businessman, husband of MP Priyanka Gandhi. The other accused include Onkareshwar Properties and promoters/directors Satyanand Yajee & K S Virk, sources said.
ED’s action part of political witch hunt : Vadra’s office
The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi is yet to take cognisance of the ED chargesheet against Robert Vadra. This is the second chargesheet filed against the Gandhi family in less than three months. The ED had filed a chargesheet against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on April 17 in the National Herald money laundering case.
Reacting to the ED chargesheet, Vadra’s office said the “present proceedings are nothing more than an extension of the political witch hunt by the present govt”, adding that he would defend and clear his name in court. “As a law-abiding citizen, Vadra has always and will continue to extend his fullest cooperation to the authorities and he is confident that at the end of it all, he will be cleared of any wrongdoing,” the statement said.
Vadra is facing multiple money laundering cases for several land deals he negotiated under the then Congress govts in Haryana and Rajasthan, and for alleged favours he had received from the then Congress govt in Haryana led by then CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda . The Hooda-led Congress govt had allowed changes in land use from agricultural to commercial/residential for properties acquired by Vadra, leading to alleged windfall gains for him. Vadra is also facing a money laundering investigation in a case filed against fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. He has been accused of allegedly acquiring properties through Bhandari in London and Dubai from the proceeds of crime from multiple defence deals.
In the present case in which chargesheet has been filed, Vadra has been accused of purchasing 3.5 acres in Shikohpur village in Gurgaon’s Sector 83 through his Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd from Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd on Feb 12, 2008, for Rs 7.5 crore. The then Congress govt in Haryana immediately gave him a commercial licence to develop the property over 2.7 acres. Four months later, the same land was sold to DLF for Rs 58 crore, making a profit of Rs 50 crore within months of purchasing it.
ED’s money laundering probe is based on an FIR registered by Gurgaon police in 2018, alleging fraudulent transactions in the land deal. The ED on Wednesday attached 43 properties worth over Rs 37 crore associated with Vadra and his entities, including Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd.
Besides Vadra, ED has accused 11 others in its chargesheet against the businessman, husband of MP Priyanka Gandhi. The other accused include Onkareshwar Properties and promoters/directors Satyanand Yajee & K S Virk, sources said.
ED’s action part of political witch hunt : Vadra’s office
The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi is yet to take cognisance of the ED chargesheet against Robert Vadra. This is the second chargesheet filed against the Gandhi family in less than three months. The ED had filed a chargesheet against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on April 17 in the National Herald money laundering case.
Reacting to the ED chargesheet, Vadra’s office said the “present proceedings are nothing more than an extension of the political witch hunt by the present govt”, adding that he would defend and clear his name in court. “As a law-abiding citizen, Vadra has always and will continue to extend his fullest cooperation to the authorities and he is confident that at the end of it all, he will be cleared of any wrongdoing,” the statement said.
Vadra is facing multiple money laundering cases for several land deals he negotiated under the then Congress govts in Haryana and Rajasthan, and for alleged favours he had received from the then Congress govt in Haryana led by then CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda . The Hooda-led Congress govt had allowed changes in land use from agricultural to commercial/residential for properties acquired by Vadra, leading to alleged windfall gains for him. Vadra is also facing a money laundering investigation in a case filed against fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. He has been accused of allegedly acquiring properties through Bhandari in London and Dubai from the proceeds of crime from multiple defence deals.
In the present case in which chargesheet has been filed, Vadra has been accused of purchasing 3.5 acres in Shikohpur village in Gurgaon’s Sector 83 through his Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd from Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd on Feb 12, 2008, for Rs 7.5 crore. The then Congress govt in Haryana immediately gave him a commercial licence to develop the property over 2.7 acres. Four months later, the same land was sold to DLF for Rs 58 crore, making a profit of Rs 50 crore within months of purchasing it.
ED’s money laundering probe is based on an FIR registered by Gurgaon police in 2018, alleging fraudulent transactions in the land deal. The ED on Wednesday attached 43 properties worth over Rs 37 crore associated with Vadra and his entities, including Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd.
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