Robert Vadra
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned Robert Vadra, husband of senior Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and brother-in-law of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in connection with a money laundering probe linked to a Haryana land deal.
He was first summoned on 8 April but sought a fresh date, and a new summons was issued for Tuesday. The 56-year-old Vadra had been questioned in a separate money laundering case earlier.
Vadra, who walked two kilometres from his residence at Sujan Singh Park in central Delhi to the ED headquarters on APJ Abdul Kalam Road, alleged that the agency's action was "political vendetta".
"Whenever I speak for minorities, they try to stop me, crush us... they tried to stop Rahul (Gandhi) in Parliament too. This is misuse of agencies and this is political vendetta. I will cooperate with them like in the past," he told reporters ahead of his questioning by investigators.
According to ED officials, the case relates to a land deal of February 2008, where Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, which is linked to Vadra, purchased 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur in Gurugram from Onkareshwar Properties for Rs 7.5 crore. A case was registered by Haryana Police in 2018 after claiming that the mutation of this land was done within hours.
In its chargesheet filed in December 2023 against UAE-based NRI businessman C C Thampi, who is allegedly linked to Vadra, and Sumit Chadha, a relative of UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari, the ED had said it was probing the purchase of three plots in Haryana during 2005–06 by Vadra from a real estate agent, along with a land deal made by Priyanka. Both Vadra and Priyanka are not named as accused in the chargesheet.
"It is imperative to mention that Robert Vadra also purchased three pieces of land measuring 334 kanals (40.08 acres) in Amirpur from H. L. Pahwa from 2005–2006 and sold the same land to H. L. Pahwa in December 2010," it said in the chargesheet.
"Further, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, wife of Robert Vadra, also purchased agricultural land measuring 40 kanals (5 acres) in village Amirpur, district Faridabad, Haryana, from H L Pahwa in April 2006 and sold the same land to H L Pahwa in February 2010," it said, adding, "Pahwa was receiving cash out of the books for the purpose of acquisition of land... It was also noticed that Robert Vadra did not pay the entire consideration to Pahwa. The investigation in this regard is still ongoing."