A Delhi court is set to consider the Enforcement Directorate’s prosecution complaint against businessman Robert Vadra and others in a money laundering case related to a 2008 land deal in Gurugram’s Shikohpur village. The court will review the ED’s chargesheet filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Vadra, who is married to Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and is the son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is accused of generating illegal proceeds through a land transaction in Haryana.
The ED alleges that Vadra routed the proceeds of crime through various companies under his control. Previously, a Delhi court had issued notices to Vadra and other accused individuals, citing the requirement under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita that accused persons must be given an opportunity to be heard before cognisance is taken.
According to the ED, Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, acquired 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur in 2008 for Rs 7.50 crore from Omkareshwar Properties Private Limited. The agency claims that no actual payment was made, and the sale deed contained false information, including a reference to a cheque that was never issued or cashed.
The ED has identified Rs 58 crore as proceeds of crime and has attached 43 immovable properties worth Rs 38.69 crore, allegedly owned by Vadra, his company, and associated entities. The agency is seeking a maximum punishment of seven years’ imprisonment under the PMLA, along with confiscation of the attached properties. In 2012, senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka canceled the Shikohpur land deal due to procedural irregularities.
