Complaint Document Filed Against Robert Vadra in Real Estate Transaction Investigation
In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against Robert Vadra and 11 others, including his company Sky Light Hospitality, in a money laundering case linked to a land deal in Haryana's Shikohpur. This is the first time a probe agency has filed a criminal prosecution complaint against Vadra.
The case centres on a 2008 land purchase by Sky Light Hospitality, where the company bought around three acres for Rs 7.5 crore and later sold it to DLF for Rs 58 crore. The ED is suspecting the proceeds from this transaction to be part of a money laundering scheme.
The chargesheet was submitted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) but is yet to be taken up by the court. The ED's action includes attaching 43 properties valued at over Rs 36 crore linked to Vadra and his entities.
Vadra and his associates have termed the chargesheet as a political vendetta, with Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Randeep Surjewala also accusing the government of a witch hunt.
The land purchase deal in question was executed in February 2008 under Congress rule in Haryana with Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the chief minister. When the BJP-led government came to power, an FIR was registered by the Haryana Police against former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Robert Vadra, and others.
In June 2008, Robert Vadra received a permit to develop a housing society on the land, and the value of the plot increased. In October 2012, IAS officer Ashok Khemka (now retired) cancelled the land purchase deal, citing procedural irregularities. However, the mutation process for the land purchase was completed the next day, which usually takes months.
In April this year, Robert Vadra was questioned by the ED multiple times and his statement was recorded. On Wednesday, the ED attached 43 immovable properties worth Rs. 37.64 crores that belong to Robert Vadra and his companies.
The ED claims that Vadra obtained a commercial license on the purchased land through personal influence. In 2013, an in-house government panel gave a clean chit to both Vadra and DLF. However, the ED's investigation has found otherwise, leading to the filing of the charge sheet.
This case is a significant development in the ongoing saga of the land deal in Shikohpur and will be closely watched by all parties involved.
- The money laundering case against Robert Vadra and his company Sky Light Hospitality, a part of the general news and politics, has taken a new turn with the Enforcement Directorate filing a charge sheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), linking the case to policy-and-legislation and crime-and-justice.
- As the court considers the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate against Robert Vadra and his associates, the case raises questions about the integrity of past land deals and could potentially influence future policy-and-legislation and political decisions in the crime-and-justice sector.
