Robert Vadra's Alleged Money Laundering: A Closer Look at the Controversial Land Deal
Overview of the Allegations Against Robert Vadra
New Delhi: In a significant development regarding a controversial land transaction in Gurugram, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has informed a Special Court that Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, allegedly received ₹58 crore as proceeds from criminal activities.
The ED's chargesheet indicates that ₹53 crore was funneled through Sky Light Hospitality, while an additional ₹5 crore was processed via Blue Breeze Trading.
The Special PMLA court in Delhi has scheduled a hearing for August 28 to review the ED's complaint and has issued a notice to Vadra.
According to the federal agency, these funds, linked to the alleged crime, were purportedly used by Vadra to purchase real estate, invest, provide loans, and settle debts for his various companies.
The ED's investigation has led to the provisional attachment of 43 properties, valued at ₹38.69 crore, identified as either direct proceeds or equivalent value of the alleged crime.
The agency is seeking penalties under Section 4 of the PMLA, which carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years and the confiscation of the implicated properties. The properties in question include land in Bikaner, Rajasthan; units in Good Earth City Centre, Gurugram; units in Bestech Business Tower, Mohali; and residential units in Jay Ambe Township, Ahmedabad.
Additionally, the ED has identified properties categorized as Value Equivalent Proceeds of Crime, which include various agricultural lands in Amipur, Faridabad; plots in Mayfield Garden, Gurugram; commercial units in Centrum Plaza, Gurugram; and an apartment in The Aralias, Gurugram.
The agency asserts that these properties are owned by Vadra, along with his companies, including M/s Artex, M/s Sky Light Reality Pvt. Ltd., and M/s Real Earth Estates LLP. The total value of all attached properties, encompassing both direct and equivalent proceeds of crime, stands at ₹38.69 crore.
In its complaint, the ED has invoked multiple sections of the PMLA, 2002, including Section 23 (Presumption in inter-connected transactions), Section 24 (Burden of proof), Section 44 (Offences triable by Special Courts), and Section 45 (Offences to be cognizable and nonbailable), in addition to Section 3 (Offence of Money Laundering).
The ED claims that Vadra's company, Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, despite having limited capital, purchased 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur, Gurugram, from Omkareshwar Properties Private Limited for ₹7.50 crore.
The agency alleges that the sale deed contained false information, stating that payment was made via cheque, which was never cashed.
The ED contends that the land's actual value was ₹15 crore, not ₹7.50 crore, as indicated in the sale deed, leading to an evasion of stamp duty amounting to ₹45 lakh, constituting an offence under Section 423 of the IPC.
Furthermore, the ED alleges that this transaction was a bribery scheme, wherein Omkareshwar Properties transferred the land to Vadra’s Skylight Hospitality without any genuine payment.
In exchange, Vadra allegedly influenced then-Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to assist Omkareshwar Properties in securing a license for a housing project in the same village of Shikohpur.