The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has named Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a chargesheet to probe the alleged dubious purchase of land in Haryana from an agent that was also hired by prime accused CC Thampi, an NRI businessman and relative of fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
Priyanka’s husband Robert Vadra also figures in the chargesheet filed before a court here. However, both have not been listed as accused as the agency stated that the three plots of land bought by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law and daughter in Haryana sometime in 2005-2006 are under investigation.
A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi has listed the matter for hearing on January 29 after it took cognisance of this charge-sheet on December 22.
Long relationship
While digging into the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case against Thampi, 67, in 2015, the ED said it came across the land purchases by the Vadra couple. According to the agency, Robert Vadra and Thampi enjoyed a “long and thick relationship”.
Vadra and Thampi, the ED said, bought about 40.08 acres and 486 acres of land between 2005-2008 in Amirpur village in Faridabad in Haryana through H L Pahwa, the Delhi-NCR based real estate agent.
“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,” the chargesheet revealed.
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“Further, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wife of Robert Vadra also purchased agricultural land measuring 40 kanal (05 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,” the ED chargesheet read.
“Pahwa was receiving cash out of the books for the acquisition of land,” the ED pointed out. At the same time, the ED charged that “it was also noticed that Robert Vadra did not pay the entire consideration to Pahwa”. The investigation is still ongoing to ascertain proceeds of crime, the ED said.
Thampi, arrested in January 2020, is now out on bail.
Criminal case
Arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari is also facing extradition proceedings in the United Kingdom since he is wanted in India in two cases registered by the CBI and ED. The anti-money laundering agency said, Vadra “renovated and stayed” at a London property which it treats as “proceeds of crime” in the money laundering case against Bhandari.
The ED filed a criminal case against Bhandari and others in February 2017 taking cognisance of an Income Tax Department chargesheet filed against him under the anti-black money law of 2015.