Robert Vadra grilled by Enforcement Directorate for 6 hours on illegal assets
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned businessman Robert Vadra for six hours on Wednesday in connection with a money laundering case. The son-in-law of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is under the scanner for alleged possession of illegal foreign assets.
On Wednesday, Vadra had appeared before the ED in the case related to the alleged purchase of properties in London. This was the first time when Robert Vadra appeared in person before any agency.
Soon after Robert Vadra’s questioning, his lawyer Suman Jyoti Khaitan told news agency ANI that his client has given an undertaking that he will appear before Enforcement Directorate when summoned.
“All charges against him are wrong. We will cooperate with the agency 100 per cent,” Khaitan said.
“He (Vadra) felt that something wrong is going to happen. He on his own went to the court and said he is going to appear voluntarily before the ED. He asked the court to give him the date to appear before the ED. He appeared before the ED on his own even without receiving summons. He answered every question he was asked. The matter is sub-judice, I cannot tell more. We have given the undertaking,” the lawyer added.
Last week, a Delhi court had granted interim bail to Vadra in this case and had directed him to appear before the ED and cooperate in the investigation. The agency told the court that it had received information about Vadra’s several properties in London including two houses and several flats.
Vadra had arrived at the ED’s Jamnagar House at 03:45 pm and left at 09:35 pm. He was accompanied by his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. She, however, left the ED office after dropping her husband.
The agency has accessed documents to show that Vadra is the “beneficial owner” of three houses in London and six apartments. The agency also probing whether he was involved with arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and his companies; and is also investigating his role in petroleum and defence deals that took place between 2005 and 2010.
ED claims that a property, 12 Bryanston Street estimated to be worth 1.9 million GBP (over Rs 17.60 crore), was part of kickbacks received in a petroleum deal. “The same modus operandi was used for payments for nine properties in London. These were kickbacks received in defence and petroleum deals,” said an ED officer, adding that they sniffed out financial details through letters rogatory sent to UK and UAE.
