ED Issues Fresh Notice to Robert Vadra’s Firm in Bikaner Land Deal

Robert Vadra (second from left) with wife Priyanka Gandhi (left), UP CM Akhilesh Yadav (right) and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook Page of Robert Vadra)

On Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a fresh notice to a firm linked to Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi in connection with its probe into alleged money laundering in a land deal in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district.

Officials said that the summons for production of documents were issued for the second time.

Last week, when the first notice was sent to Vadra’s company, a lawyer with no letter of authorization had appeared in court. As the lawyer failed to produce the documents, ED declared that the response was “unauthorized”.

Robert Vadra, son-in-law of congress president Sonia Gandhi. (Photo: PTI)

The agency has given the firm, Ms Skylight Hospitality, two weeks to submit their financial statements and other documents to the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case.

The ED sent the notice in June after conducting extensive searches in Bikaner district and other places and seizing a number of documents. The agency is expected to issue summons to a number of other people and entities involved in the case in the near future, sources said.

The probe is related to the alleged purchase of 275 bigha land by the company in the Kolayat area of the border town of Bikaner.

A complaint by the local tehsildar in the area snowballed into FIRs by the Rajasthan police and eventually a criminal case by the ED last year. The ED has not mentioned Vadra or any company linked to him in the FIR but it named some state government officials and few members of the “land mafia”.

While filing the case, it had also taken cognisance of reports thatreferred to a firm allegedly linked to Vadra, which had purchased some land in Bikaner.

Vadra has denied any wrongdoing, even as Congress party called the action “sheer political vendetta”.