A Delhi court on Saturday extended the interim bail granted to businessman Robert Vadra in connection with a money laundering case till March 2, PTI reported. The court asked him to cooperate with the investigation after the Enforcement Directorate complained.
Vadra, brother-in-law of Rahul Gandhi, is alleged to have used laundered money to buy real estate in the United Kingdom. His lawyer sought extension of the interim bail after the investigating agency requested for more time to file a reply to his anticipatory bail plea. The bail for a co-accused in the case, Manoj Arora, was also extended.
Vadra has appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi three times for questioning this month. 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 the provisions of the Black Money Act.
Separately, Vadra is also being investigated in the Bikaner land scam case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The agency has accused Vadra’s firm Skylight Hospitality of buying and selling the land in Bikaner at an extremely high price after several illegal transactions.
In his anticipatory bail plea, Vadra had alleged that he was being subjected to “unwarranted, unjustified and malicious criminal prosecution”, which was politically motivated.
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