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Thenewsdose.com
New Delhi/ Gurugram, July 17:
In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed its first chargesheet against Robert Vadra, businessman and husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in connection with a money laundering case linked to a 2008 land transaction in Shikohpur village, Gurugram district of Haryana. The prosecution complaint has been submitted under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), according to sources quoted by PTI.
This marks the first time that any central investigative agency has formally named Vadra, 56, as an accused in a criminal case. Along with Vadra, several others have also been named in the chargesheet filed before a local court.
The ED has alleged that Vadra’s firm, Skylight Hospitality, purchased 3.53 acres of land in Shikohpur for ₹7.5 crore and sold it to real estate giant DLF for ₹58 crore — all without undertaking any developmental work on the plot. The agency contends that the transaction resulted in an illicit profit of over ₹50 crore for Vadra, which it alleges is a clear case of money laundering.
The federal agency had questioned Vadra extensively in this case — for over 18 hours across three consecutive days in April this year. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, calling the case “politically motivated” and part of a larger “vendetta” against the Gandhi family. Vadra is married to Priyanka Gandhi, the daughter of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and sister of Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The land deal first drew public attention in 2012, during the tenure of the Congress-led Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana, when senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka cancelled the land mutation, citing irregularities and legal violations. Khemka’s move triggered a political storm and led to multiple probes by state and central agencies.
The current chargesheet is part of a broader ED investigation into Vadra’s business dealings. He is also under scrutiny in two other money laundering cases, including one related to alleged foreign assets linked to UK-based arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. The ED claims to be probing the flow of funds from these deals into offshore assets and properties.
The Congress party has maintained that all allegations against Vadra are baseless and aimed at deflecting attention from the government’s own failings. Meanwhile, the ED’s filing of the chargesheet is likely to have political reverberations, especially given the involvement of high-profile individuals and the backdrop of upcoming state and national elections.
