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NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused Robert Vadra of “renovating and residing” at a London property believed to be connected with a money laundering case involving middleman Sanjay Bhandari.
This is for the first time that the name of Vadra, son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has come up in the case.
Bhandari fled to the UK in 2016 and the British government approved his extradition to India in January this year acting on the legal request made by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In a statement, the ED said that it has filed a fresh chargesheet in the case against C C or Cheruvathur Chakutty Thampi, a UAE-based NRI businessman, and UK national Sumit Chadha. Both have been accused of financial irregularities.
Notably, the ED accusations tie Vadra to a property at 12 Bryanston Square, London, among other assets, labeling them as “proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Thampi, previously arrested in January 2020 and purportedly identified as a close associate of Vadra, is currently out on bail.
According to the ED’s claims, the investigation revealed Vadra’s direct involvement in the London property’s renovation via Sumit Chadha and his alleged stay at the same address.
Moreover, the ED alleged significant land acquisition near Delhi by both Vadra and Thampi, alongside financial transactions between them.
Vadra, the husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has faced ED questioning before and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, a Delhi court acknowledged a supplementary prosecution complaint filed by the ED under the PMLA’s criminal sections in November.
Following this, the court issued summons to Thampi and Chadha and a non-bailable arrest warrant against Chadha, who has yet to cooperate with the investigation despite receiving summons.
The ED’s criminal case against Bhandari and others, dating back to February 2017, stemmed from an Income Tax Department chargesheet filed under the anti-black money law of 2015.
The ED, in its supplementary charge sheet, alleged that Chadha assisted Bhandari in concealing, acquiring, possessing and utilizing the alleged proceeds of crime.
(With inputs from PTI)
This is for the first time that the name of Vadra, son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has come up in the case.
Bhandari fled to the UK in 2016 and the British government approved his extradition to India in January this year acting on the legal request made by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In a statement, the ED said that it has filed a fresh chargesheet in the case against C C or Cheruvathur Chakutty Thampi, a UAE-based NRI businessman, and UK national Sumit Chadha. Both have been accused of financial irregularities.
Notably, the ED accusations tie Vadra to a property at 12 Bryanston Square, London, among other assets, labeling them as “proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Thampi, previously arrested in January 2020 and purportedly identified as a close associate of Vadra, is currently out on bail.
According to the ED’s claims, the investigation revealed Vadra’s direct involvement in the London property’s renovation via Sumit Chadha and his alleged stay at the same address.
Moreover, the ED alleged significant land acquisition near Delhi by both Vadra and Thampi, alongside financial transactions between them.
Vadra, the husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has faced ED questioning before and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, a Delhi court acknowledged a supplementary prosecution complaint filed by the ED under the PMLA’s criminal sections in November.
Following this, the court issued summons to Thampi and Chadha and a non-bailable arrest warrant against Chadha, who has yet to cooperate with the investigation despite receiving summons.
The ED’s criminal case against Bhandari and others, dating back to February 2017, stemmed from an Income Tax Department chargesheet filed under the anti-black money law of 2015.
The ED, in its supplementary charge sheet, alleged that Chadha assisted Bhandari in concealing, acquiring, possessing and utilizing the alleged proceeds of crime.
(With inputs from PTI)
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