ED investigation claims Robert Vadra and Thampi purchased land in Faridabad, Haryana
On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a supplementary charge sheet against C C Thampi, a UAE-based NRI and a close aide of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi.
The ED has stated that C C Thampi not only renovated the property at No. 12 Bryanston Square in London through Sumit Chadha but also stayed there.
The ED also claimed that Vadra as well as Thampi purchased a huge chunk of land in Haryana’s Faridabad and had financial transactions with each other.
The ED said that it filed the supplementary charge sheet on November 21 against Thampi and Chadha, a UK national, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 before a special PMLA court here.
The special court took cognizance of the same on December 22.
The ED registered a case of money laundering on the basis of searches as well as the charge sheet filed by the Income Tax Department under Section 51 of Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.
The ED probe has revealed that Sanjay Bhandari held various undisclosed foreign income and assets, including properties at No. 12 Bryanston Square, London, and 6 Grosvenor Hill Court, London.
“These assets are proceeds of crime as per the provisions of PMLA. Thampi and Chadha have been found to be involved in the concealment and use of these proceeds of crime,” the ED alleged.
The ED had earlier filed a charge sheet on June 1, 2020, against Bhandari, his three offshore entities, Sanjeev Kapoor and Anirudh Wadhwa.
After that, the special court declared Bhandari a ‘proclaimed offender’ and the competent authority in the UK also ordered for extradition of Bhandari, who has filed an appeal challenging the extradition order before the High Court of the UK.
In the matter, properties worth Rs.26.55 crore belonging to Bhandari held in India were attached.
“The ED probe further revealed that Thampi is a close associate of Vadra. Vadra not only renovated the aforesaid property at 12 Bryanston Square through Chadha but also stayed in the same. Further, Vadra as well as Thampi purchased huge chunks of land at Faridabad and had financial transactions with each other,” the ED claimed.
C C Thampi is a Keralite engaged in the liquor business in UAE, popularly known as Kallu Thampi. Kallu in the Malayalam language means locally made liquor. Thampi landed in UAE in the mid-80s as a worker engaged in the bootlegging business turned into a big liquor trader and is running many firms engaged in the hospitality industry. It is well known that Thampi has been closely associated with Sonia Gandhi’s family since early 2000 and was host to them whenever they landed in the Middle East. Thampi is already arrested by ED and is now out on bail.
[With Inputs from IANS]
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