Robert Vadra Skips Enforcement Directorate Summons Again
New Delhi:
Businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, has once again skipped the summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the ongoing money laundering probe linked to fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
According to sources, Mr Vadra is currently abroad to attend his daughter's graduation ceremony. He had earlier missed a summons issued on June 10 as well, citing flu-like symptoms. The agency had issued fresh summons for Tuesday, June 17, asking Mr Vadra to join the investigation in Delhi.
The ED is probing alleged links between Mr Vadra and two London properties said to be acquired by Sanjay Bhandari - one at 12, Bryanston Square and another at Grosvenor Hill Court, 13 Bourdon Street. Officials claim the Bryanston Square property was renovated on Mr Vadra's directions and funded by him, and that he stayed there on multiple occasions. The properties, along with certain land parcels in India, are being investigated as alleged "proceeds of crime" under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The agency had filed the money laundering case in 2016. Another key figure in the case is NRI businessman CC Thampi, who was arrested in 2020. Authorities claim Mr Thampi played a significant role in facilitating property deals for Mr Vadra through a Dubai-based company.
Sanjay Bhandari, a 61-year-old fugitive arms dealer, is under investigation by multiple agencies - ED, CBI, Income Tax Department, and Delhi Police - for violations ranging from foreign exchange laws to the Official Secrets Act. Indian authorities have sent two extradition requests for Mr Bhandari, both certified by then UK Home Secretary Priti Patel in 2020. Although he was arrested in the UK, his extradition was blocked earlier this year by the King's Bench Division of the UK High Court, citing potential risks of mistreatment in Indian prisons.
Mr Vadra has denied any connection, directly or indirectly, and termed the charges a "political witch hunt". The businessman said he was being "hounded and harassed".
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I am being accused of stealing a neem tree. There are four neem trees at my home. Ask them how many they want. We don't need to steal things,' Banerjee had said in May, reacting to the allegations. Though a subsequent probe found the allegations untrue, the servitor of the Puri temple who attended the 'consecration process' of the Jagannath temple in Digha was debarred from entering the temple for a month. 'I think that the people of the state are somewhat indifferent to this Jagannath temple issue. Neither the BJP nor the TMC will gain anything out of this. Only a handful of sweet-traders are likely to gain something from this as a few crores of rupees are involved. Even though the Mamata Banerjee government had planned to counter the Hindutva campaign, it has lost the edge,' said Biswanath Chakraborty, professor of political science at the Rabindra Bharati University.
