Priyanka Gandhi's Husband Fails to Appear Before Enforcement Directorate Again

Robert Vadra Misses Second Appearance in Money Laundering Case

Robert Vadra, the businessman husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, did not show up for his second scheduled appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding a money laundering case linked to UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari. Official sources confirmed this information on Tuesday. After failing to appear on June 10, he was asked to present himself on Tuesday, June 17.

Close associates of Vadra mentioned that he had already informed the agency about his travel plans to the UAE and the UK for this week, assuring that he would cooperate with the investigation upon his return to India.

Previous Absence and Future Cooperation

Vadra had previously postponed his appearance on June 10, citing flu-like symptoms on June 9, which led him to undergo a COVID test as per protocol. His lawyer stated that Vadra had no intention of evading the summons and was willing to appear before the ED either before or after his foreign trip later this month. It is believed that the agency is seeking to record Vadra's statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) before filing charges in the case.

Ongoing Investigations and Legal Challenges

The federal investigative agency had previously interrogated Vadra for three consecutive days in April regarding alleged irregularities in a land deal from 2008 in Haryana, which is part of a separate money laundering case. The ED is currently investigating Vadra in three different money laundering cases. The 63-year-old Bhandari fled to London shortly after a raid by the Income Tax Department in Delhi in 2016. Earlier this month, a UK court denied Bhandari's application to appeal against the Indian government's extradition case, significantly reducing the chances of him facing legal consequences in India.