According to reports, the Enforcement Directorate allegedly filed a fresh charge sheet on Wednesday in an investigation into money laundering including allegations of middleman and weapons dealer Sanjay Bhandari, who is now living in the UK, and other individuals.
This further prosecution charge has reportedly been filed in a local court under several provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, according to PTI.
According to reports, Bhandari, his uncle S Chadha, and NRI businessman C C Thampi are among the people listed in the charge sheet.
Later this week, the court is expected to publicly accept this complaint. Interestingly, the ED filed the first charge sheet against Bhandari in 2020.
According to the ED, Bhandari “absconded” to the UK in 2016. In connection with a money laundering case involving the purported ownership of concealed assets overseas, a special PMLA court has designated him a proclaimed offender.
In response to a legal request from the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation, who are looking into allegations of money laundering and tax fraud against Bhandari for allegedly possessing concealed assets overseas, the UK government authorized Bhandari’s extradition to India in January of this year.
Taking cognizance of an Income Tax Department charge sheet filed against him under the 2015 anti-black money legislation, the ED filed a criminal case of money laundering against him and others in February 2017.
The ED is also investigating his purported connections to Robert Vadra, the businessman and spouse of Congresswoman Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
As part of their investigation against Bhandari, the ED filed eviction notices in October and seized ownership of an expensive home in south Delhi.
His purported involvement in a second money laundering case involving suspected wrongdoing in the 2009 acquisition of seventy-five Pilatus basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) is also being investigated by the agency.