Forced to Buy M F Husain Painting Worth Rs 2 Crore From Priyanka Gandhi: Yes Bank Co-Founder Rana Kapoor in ED Chargesheet

Kapoor told the ED that the then petroleum minister Murli Deora said to him that refusal to buy the painting will not only prevent him from building a relationship with the Gandhi family but also getting the 'Padma Bhushan' award.

Mumbai: In a surprising allegation, Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor has told the Enforcement Directorate that he was “forced” to buy an M F Husain painting from Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, reported news platforms. The amount from the painting was utilised by the Gandhi family for the medical treatment of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New York, as per the chargesheet filed by the federal anti-money laundering agency in a special court here.

Kapoor also told the ED that he was told by the then petroleum minister Murli Deora that the refusal to buy the M F Husain painting will not only prevent him from building a relationship with the Gandhi family but also getting the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award. The statements of Rana Kapoor are part of the second supplementary chargesheet (overall third) filed in the special court here recently against the Yes Bank co-founder, his family, Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan, and others in a money laundering case.

Stating that he had paid a cheque of Rs 2 crore, Kapoor claimed that “Milind Deora (son of the late Murli Deora and former Congress MP) later conveyed to him confidentially that the sale proceeds were utilised by the Gandhi family for the medical treatment of Sonia Gandhi in New York”. Kapoor also told the ED that Ahmed Patel, a close confidante of Sonia Gandhi, had told him that by supporting the Gandhi family at an opportune time for medical treatment of Sonia Gandhi, I (Kapoor) had performed a good deed for the family and it would be duly considered for the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award.

A forced sale for which I was never ready: Kapoor

The late Deora had told Kapoor at dinner that the failure to purchase the painting could have “adverse repercussions” on him and Yes Bank, Kapoor has claimed in his statement to the ED. The banker is currently in judicial custody following his arrest in the case in March 2020. “First of all I wish to state that it was a forced sale for which I was never ready”, the chargesheet said about the painting Kapoor allegedly purchased from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The case against Rana Kapoor:

1. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Rana Kapoor and Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan had siphoned off funds worth Rs 5,050 crore through suspicious transactions.
2. The ED had started its investigation after recording ECIR on March 3, 2020, and after the probe began, Rana Kapoor aggressively tried to dispose of his overseas properties to save them from being attachment by the ED under PMLA, the charge sheet said.
3. The POC involved in this case is Rs 5,050 crore. While Rana Kapoor is the founder of the said company namely DUVPL, his three daughters are 100 per cent shareholders therein.
4. Rana Kapoor is currently in judicial custody following his arrest in the case in March 2020. The Wadhwans too are in jail custody after their arrest in another case.

(With inputs from PTI)