Vadra, mother to appear before ED in Bikaner case probe

Businessman Robert Vadra, along with his mother Maureen Vadra, arrived in Jaipur on Monday to appear before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a money laundering case.

Vadra and his mother are likely to appear at the probe agency's office on Bhawani Singh Road at around 10 am on Tuesday. According to sources, Vadra's wife and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi is also expected to reach Jaipur.

Investigators have accused Vadra of letting the personal driver of an associate, Mahesh Nagar, pay for buying land in Rajasthan's Bikaner with a cheque drawn on behalf of Maureen, and have questioned the manner in which the transaction was done.

Last month, the businessman and his mother were told by the Rajasthan High Court to appear before the ED for the recording of their statements, after they asked the court to ensure the probe agency refrain from taking any coercive action against them. Vadra went to the court after he got at least three summons from the probe agency.

The ED filed a money laundering case in 2015 after it took note of several First Information Reports (FIRs) filed by the Rajasthan Police, which received complaints from the Bikaner tehsildar on alleged forgery in land allotment in the area, considered sensitive due to its proximity to the border with Pakistan.

Last week, Vadra was questioned for 24 hours over the course of three days by the ED in connection with a probe into allegations of money laundering in the purchase of assets abroad.