NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday issued a notice to Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in connection with a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Special Judge (PC Act) Sushant Changotra of the Rouse Avenue Court said he would first hear Vadra and the ten other proposed accused before deciding whether to take cognisance of the ED’s prosecution complaint. The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on August 28.
The case revolves around a land deal in Gurugram, Haryana, involving a 3.5-acre plot purchased by Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality, from Onkareshwar Properties for Rs 7.5 crore in February 2008. The ED alleges that the transaction was based on false documents and irregularities in the land mutation process.
Reportedly, the property was transferred in Skylight’s name and subsequently to Vadra within 24 hours.
The ED further claims the then Congress-led Haryana government, under CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, quickly granted a commercial licence to Skylight Hospitality, significantly increasing the land’s market value. In 2012, the company sold the plot to real estate giant DLF for Rs 58 crore — a transaction the agency alleges led to windfall gains for Vadra and his firms.
According to the ED, the profits earned from this sequence of deals amount to proceeds of crime and were allegedly used by Vadra and his associated entities to acquire additional assets.
Appearing for the ED were Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain and Special Public Prosecutor NK Matta.
The court’s notice marks a crucial step in the ongoing investigation that has drawn political attention due to Vadra’s high-profile connections.