NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said businessman Robert Vadra renovated and stayed at a London property, which is a “proceeds of crime” in a money laundering case against fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
The ED made this allegation in a statement on the filing a Supplementary Prosecution Complaint (chargesheet) on December 21 against Cheruvathur Chakutty Thampi (CC Thampi), a UAE-based NRI and Sumit Chadha, a UK national, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 before a special PMLA court here. The court took cognisance of it on December 22.
The ED probe revealed that Bhandari held various undisclosed foreign assets, including properties at No. 12 Bryanston Square, London and 6, Grosvenor Hill Court, London. These assets are proceeds of crime as per the provisions of PMLA, 2002. Thampi and Chadha are involved in the concealment and use of these proceeds of crime, the statement noted.
The ED claimed that Thampi is a close associate of Vadra, adding Vadra not only renovated the aforesaid property at 12, Bryanston Square, London through Chadha but also stayed in the same. “Further, Robert Vadra as well as CC Thampi purchased huge chunk of land at Faridabad and had financial transactions with each other. Further investigation is under progress.”
Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, was questioned by the ED in 2019 in this case. Bhandari has been in the UK since 2016 and the British government in January this year approved his extradition to India. However, he challenged the extradition in a UK court. Thampi was arrested in January 2020 but is currently out on bail.