India
Sources in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have confirmed that Robert Vadra is replying to each question but not revealing too many details. Now, he has been asked to join the investigation in Jaipur on February 12
New Delhi: It seems the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is struggling to get answers from the Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband Robert Vadra.
According to sources, the ED officials have grilled Vadra for almost nine hours including three hours of questioning which took place on Thursday. The ED has given another date for questioning but it will not take place in Delhi.
Also read: Robert Vadra reaches ED office with Priyanka Gandhi in tow
Sources in ED have confirmed that Vadra is replying to each question but not revealing too many details. Now, he has been asked to join the investigation in Jaipur on February 12.
The ED is probing his assets abroad linking to Sanjay Bhandari, a arms dealer and accused in a money laundering case registered by the ED. The investigators have confirmed that Vadra has denied links with Bhandari and having illegal properties abroad including London.
Meanwhile, the ED claimed that Vadra directly or indirectly owns at least nine properties in London which includes villas and luxury flats. These properties were purchased between 2005 and 2010.
The ED has also shown him e-mails sent reportedly from his email address marked to Bhandari. In the e-mails he has discussed pricing of a villa. The ED has already grilled Vadra’s close aide Manoj Arora in the case. It is probing whether these properties were purchased from the alleged kickbacks received from a petroleum deal. The ED is also claiming that a house at London's Bryanston Square was purchased by Bhandari and later it was handed over to Vadra at a cheaper rate.
The ED said Vadra purchased the house for 1.9 million pounds and sold in 2010 for the same amount, despite an additional expense of approximately 65,900 pounds for its renovation.
"This gives credence to the fact that Bhandari was not the actual owner of the property but it was beneficially owned by Vadra, who was incurring expenditure on the renovation of this property," the ED had told the court.
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