ED names Robert Vadra for the first time in PMLA case
On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that Robert Vadra, Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law, renovated and stayed at a London property which is proceeds of crime in a money laundering case against alleged middleman Sanjay Bhandari.
Robert Vadra has been named for the first time by the ED in this case. Vadra has been questioned by the ED in the past and he has denied wrongdoing.
The ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are probing charges of money laundering and tax evasion against the middleman Sanjay Bhandari for holding alleged undisclosed assets abroad.
Sanjay 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).
The ED issued a statement stating that it has filed a fresh charge sheet in this case against Cheruvathur Chakutty Thampi, a UAE-based NRI businessman, and UK national Sumit Chadha.
The ED registered a case of money laundering based on 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. Robert Vadra not only renovated the aforesaid property at 12 Bryanston Square, London through Sumit Chadha but also stayed in the same.
Thampi was arrested in this case in January 2020 and the ED alleged he was a “close associate” of Vadra. Thampi is currently out on bail. The probe found, it said, that Thampi is a close associate of Robert Vadra.
“These assets are proceeds of crime as per the provisions of the PMLA and Thampi and Sumit Chadha are involved in the concealment and use of these proceeds of crime,” the ED charged.
“Robert Vadra as well as Thampi purchased a huge chunk of land at Faridabad (near Delhi) and had financial transactions with each other,” the ED claimed.
The ED said the Delhi court took cognizance of the supplementary prosecution complaint, filed under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in November, on December 22.
The court also issued summons to Thampi and Chadha after taking cognizance of the charge sheet. It also issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Chadha who has not joined the probe till now despite ED issuing summons to him.
The ED filed the criminal case of money laundering against Bhandari and others in February 2017 taking cognizance of an Income Tax Department charge sheet filed against him under the anti-black money law of 2015.
The ED told the court in its supplementary charge sheet that Chadha “assisted Sanjay Bhandari in concealment, acquisition, possession and use of proceeds of crime and management/ maintenance of properties beneficially owned by accused Sanjay Bhandari. Chadha had various transactions with the accused Sanjay Bhandari and his associates. He has been found actively involved in concealing the proceeds of crime.
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