Money Laundering Case: Delhi Court Refuses to Stay ED Interrogation of Vadra, Asks Him to Appear Before Agency on Tuesday

Earlier today, the court directed the probe agency to provide the documents to Vadra’s legal team within five days.

New Delhi: In a setback to Robert Vadra, a Delhi court on Monday rejected his plea seeking stay on interrogation by Enforcement Directorate in connection with money laundering cases and directed him to appear before the investigative agency on Tuesday.

Posting the matter for hearing on March 2, Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar also directed the ED to provide hard copies of documents to Robert Vadra seized by it during raids conducted at his offices last year in a money laundering case.

Vadra had moved a submitted before the Patiala House Court seeking directions to the ED to stay interrogation until documents are given to him.

Vadra, who is the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, had said in the application moved by him on Saturday that the ED has been interrogating him based on seized documents and, therefore, their copies should be provided to him.

Earlier today, the court directed the probe agency to provide the documents to Vadra’s legal team within five days.

Vadra was facing probe in cases relating to purchase of alleged illegal assets abroad and an alleged land scam in Bikaner, Rajasthan. He has appeared before the ED for questioning on multiple occasions in Delhi and Jaipur.

The court had on February 16 extended the interim bail granted to Vadra till March 2.

Vadra had filed an anticipatory bail application in the case linked to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million pounds. The property is allegedly owned by him.

Vadra has alleged that he is being “hounded and harassed” to subserve political ends.

However, the ED had refuted the allegations, asking that “should no authority investigate any political bigwig because that will be called a political vendetta?”

The agency had told the court that it lodged the money laundering case against Arora after his role came came to light during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the newly enacted Black Money Act and tax law against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.

It had alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for GBP 1.9 million and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately GBP 65,900 on its renovation.