Businessman Robert Vadra and his mother Maureen on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate at its zonal office in Jaipur in connection with an alleged land scam in Bikaner, PTI reported.
Vadra’s wife, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied them to the office. A group of people shouted slogans such as “Priyanka Gandhi Zindabad” and “Chowkidar Chor Hai” outside the Enforcement Directorate office as the three arrived, News18 reported.
This is the fourth time Vadra is appearing before the agency in connection with a money laundering probe.
Vadra had appeared three times before the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi last week in connection with another investigation. The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that the property, worth £1.9 million (Rs 17.5 crore), was bought using profits from “criminal acts”. The money was reportedly channeled through the United Arab Emirates. The investigation is being conducted under provisions of the Black Money Act.
In January, the Rajasthan High Court had asked Vadra and his mother to appear before the investigating agency on February 12 to respond to the allegations of money laundering against his firm Skylight Hospitality Private Limited. The agency had summoned Vadra three times in the past in connection with the Bikaner land scam, but he had failed to appear.
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the case based on a first information report filed by the Rajasthan Police in 2015. The investigating agency has registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, alleging that Skylight Hospitality bought and sold the land in Bikaner at an extremely high price through several illegal transactions.
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