The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed an application in a Delhi court to seize two properties of Sanjay Bhandari situated in the United Kingdom, one of which is claimed to have been “renovated and inhabited” by Robert Vadra. Sanjay Bhandari is a Main accused of money laundering case. These immovable assets, located at 12, Bryanston Square, and 6, Grosvernor Hill Court, 15 Bourdon Street in London, have been labeled by the agency as “proceeds of crime” and undisclosed foreign assets belonging to Bhandari.
Robert Vadra, aged 54 and the son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has previously refuted direct or indirect ownership of any property in London.
The ED, in its recent filing of the second chargesheet last month, has requested the special court’s authorization to “confiscate” the two properties under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The prosecution complaint was officially acknowledged on December 22, and the next hearing is scheduled for January 29.
Sanjay Bhandari, 61, who purportedly flew away to London in 2016 following an Income Tax department raid in Delhi, is presently challenging a UK government order for his extradition to India. The request for extradition was initiated by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), both agencies investigating money laundering and corruption allegations against him.
Additionally, the Income Tax department is conducting its investigation into Bhandari for alleged undisclosed foreign assets.
As per a new money laundering chargesheet accessed by Media, the ED has alleged that Bhandari “acquired” the Bryanston Square property in 2009 and renovated it “as directed by Robert Vadra, with funds provided by him.”
The ED has identified Sumit Chadha, an accused in this case and a relative of Bhandari, as the current “key holder” of the Bryanston Square asset. Furthermore, another accused, UAE based NRI C C Thampi, has testified before the ED that Robert Vadra “stayed at this property 3-4 times,” as mentioned in the chargesheet.
Vadra has previously dismissed these accusations as politically motivated and a witch hunt against him, asserting that he is being unfairly targeted for political reasons. The ED had previously stated that Bhandari purchased the Bryanston Square property for GBP 1.9 million and sold it in 2010 for the same amount, despite incurring additional expenses of around GBP 65,900 for renovation.
In an official press statement, the ED remarked, “Sanjay Bhandari held various undisclosed foreign income and assets, including properties at 12 Bryanston Square, London, and 6 Grosvenor Hill Court, London. These assets are proceeds of crime as per the provisions of the PMLA, and C C Thampi and Sumit Chadha have been found involved in the concealment and utilization of these proceeds of crime.”
The agency further stated, “Mr. Robert Vadra not only oversaw the renovation of the property at 12 Bryanston Square, London, through Sumit Chadha but also stayed there. Mr. Robert Vadra and C C Thampi acquired a substantial piece of land in Faridabad (near Delhi) and were involved in financial transactions with each other.”
Regarding the Bourdon Street house, the ED indicated that while initially held by Bhandari, ownership was transferred to Chadha, the spouse of his niece Puja Chadha, subsequent to the Income-Tax department’s raid on Bhandari in 2016. Bhandari, who was an Indian tax resident in 2015, is accused of concealing overseas assets, utilizing backdated documents, benefiting from undeclared assets to Indian tax authorities, and falsely denying possession of overseas assets to the authorities, although he has consistently denied these allegations.