ED seizes two London assets in the Bhandari PMLA case, one of which is “linked” to Robert Vadra

Delhi, New In conjunction with its money laundering investigation against fugitive weapons dealer Sanjay Bhandari, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has started the process of seizing two homes in London, according to persons acquainted with the matter on Friday.

According to the ED’s charge sheet in the case filed in November, one of the houses at 12, Bryanston Square, London, that Bhandari purchased in 2009 is connected to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law, Robert Vadra, since it was “renovated” on his orders and with his money. Vadra has allegedly visited this home “three times,” according to the agency.

6, Grosvenor Hill Court, 13 Bourdon Street, London is the address of the second home that is currently being scanned. Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), both Bhandari and NRI businessman C C Thampi are being viewed as “proceeds of crime.”

ED has requested to “confiscate the proceeds of crime being properties no. 12, BSQ London, and 6 Grosvenor Hill Court, Bourdon Street, London,” according to its petition before a Delhi court, which HT has seen.

According to those with knowledge of the procedure, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) would formally seek that these assets be confiscated or attached from the court once formal requests have been made.

When it comes to suspected economic offenses, the financial crimes investigation agency is able to seize and attach possessions located overseas. It annexed the ₹14 crore properties in France owned by former liquor baron Vijay Mallya in December 2020. In a similar vein, it had already attached jeweler Nirav Modi’s properties in the United Arab Emirates and Karti Chidambaram’s holdings in the United Kingdom and Spain.

According to the ED charge sheet, Bhandari bought the home at 12 Bryanston Square in 2009 and had it refurbished “in accordance with Robert Vadra’s directions and the funds for renovation were provided by Robert Vadra.”

According to the charging document, Thampi, who is listed as an accused party, said in front of the agency that Vadra “stayed at this property 3–4 times.” It also said, “CC Thampi, Sumit Chadha, and Robert Vadra were the common thread with regard to the said (London) property starting from the date of acquisition to its use.”

Since 2020, ED has maintained that Vadra owns the property in issue, which was valued at 1.9 million pounds at the time, and that Thampi was instrumental in helping to acquire it. British citizen Chadha is said to have assisted Thampi in obtaining the properties.

According to ED, Vadra and Thampi have a “long and thick” relationship that goes back to “common and business interests.” Vadra and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra purchased land in Haryana through a real estate agent in Delhi who also sold land to Thampi, as was first reported by HT on Thursday.

The ED had already charged Robert Vadra in connection with the case as Thampi’s close aide, but this is the first time Priyanka Gandhi has been referenced in a formal court filing.

Vadra was also referenced in a news statement issued by the agency on Tuesday, as HT reported, about the acquisition of a London property that is involved in the investigation.

Vadra and Gandhi have not responded to the ED’s allegations, but the Congress said on Thursday that the BJP, which is in power, was behind the whole thing. “This is only the beginning of what they will do in the lead-up to the elections. These kinds of conspiracies are nothing new; they are usually hatched around election time. Leader of the Congress, Pawan Khera, remarked, “Let them hatch conspiracies.”

The BJP refuted the accusation. “Any information released by the ED is primarily the result of an investigation. What relevance does the political party then have to this? Tom Vadakkan, a BJP national spokesman, said, “It is your karma.”