Robert Vadra to appear before ED for third day on Feb 8, agency says his answers till now were tutored

Robert Vadra, Congress president Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law, in a long grilling session on Thursday denied any direct or indirect link with the London properties which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed belonged to him.

Vadra was grilled for over six hours. His wife, Priyanka Gandhi, came to pick him up at end of the day -- again showing solidarity with him.

Robert Vadra was interrogated for more than six hours on Wednesday too.

On Thursday, Vadra arrived at the ED office in Jamnagar House in central Delhi in an SUV at about 11.25 am, about an hour after his team of lawyers reached there. After two hours of questioning, he left for lunch and returned about an hour later to resume the session.

Sources within the agency India Today that Vadra was confronted with documentary evidence -- focussed on the London properties -- on day two of his questioning, but he refuted most of the allegations. Sources added most of responses of Vadra appeared to be 'tutored'.

Robert Vadra, sources said, allegedly emailed Sanjay Bhandari's nephew Summit Chadha giving him clear instructions. Chadha had also sent multiple mails to Bhandari and Vadra over renovation of the Bryanston property in London.

The agency confronted Vadra with questions on the email trail. The ED said the trail showed that money was used to buy properties for Vadra.

Sources within the agency have told India Today that interrogators were not satisfied with Vadra's answers.

Robert Vadra will now have to appear for the third day before the ED on Friday (February 8).

Vadra's counsel KTS Tulsi told the media outside the ED office: "This entire case is a political vendetta by the BJP as elections are approaching. Vadra has no properties outside India in any country. The government is trying divert attention from Rafale [scam].

Meanwhile, India Today accessed the original registry documents of London’s Bryanston Square flat, which the ED has claimed belongs to Vadra.

It is mentioned in the paperwork that the flat belongs to a certain British couple -- and not Robert Vadra.

According to the ED, Vadra’s properties included two houses of Rs 50 and 40 lakh each, six other flats and more.

India Today TV had on Wednesday reached the Bryanston Square in London to know about Vadra’s alleged flat. It was found that the 12 Ellerton House, which the ED claimed to be of Robert Vadra’s, is owned by a family, but was lying vacant. There are various flats on the Bryanston Square. India Today found that a flat in this area, which cost Rs 10 crore in 2001, now might cost anywhere between Rs 23-25 crore.

THE CASE

The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him.

The agency has told a Delhi court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belong to Vadra. These include two houses, one worth 5 million GBP and the other valued at 4 million GBP, six other flats and more properties.

Vadra has denied the allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him. He said he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends.

Vadra's lawyer KTS Tulsi told reporters outside the ED office Thursday his client has not committed any wrongdoing.

A team of three ED officials, including the investigating officer of the case, has put across about two dozen questions to Vadra over two days.

His statement was recorded under Section 50 (powers of authorities regarding summons, production of documents and to give evidence) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, as was done on Wednesday, the sources added.

His appearance before the ED acquired political overtones after his wife Priyanka Gandhi, appointed Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, accompanies him to the investigating agency's office on Wednesday. She took charge of her new post at the Congress national headquarters on Akbar Road shortly after that.

"He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," Priyanka Gandhi said in a show of support to Vadra, who had returned from London earlier on Wednesday.

That was the first time Vadra had appeared before any probe agency in connection with alleged dubious financial dealings.

On February 2, he was directed by a Delhi court to appear before the central probe agency and cooperate in the probe after he knocked on its door seeking anticipatory bail in the money laundering case.

In December last year, the ED conducted raids in the case and grilled his close aide Manoj Arora, an employee of Skylight Hospitality LLP, a firm linked to Vadra, as well as others.

The agency told the court that it filed a PMLA case against Arora after his role cropped up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the 2015 anti-black money legislation against Bhandari.

It alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for 1.9 million GBP and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately 65,900 GBP on its renovation.

Seizing on the questioning of Vadra, the BJP has attacked the Congress and alleged he got kickbacks from a petroleum and a defence deal during the UPA rule.

Vadra is also expected to present himself before ED on February 12 in Jaipur in an unrelated money-laundering case related to a land scam in Bikaner. The Rajasthan High Court has directed him to cooperate with the agency in the case.