ED Files Fresh Money Laundering Case Against Firm Linked To Robert Vadra Over Land Irregularities 

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a new money laundering case against a firm allegedly linked to Robert Vadra in connection with financial and other irregularities in land deals in Haryana’s Gurgaon in 2008, reports Hindustan Times.

An FIR has been registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The directorate had reportedly raided on three people linked to Vadra, and the FIR is a follow-up.

The searches were reportedly conducted in connection with ED's probe into alleged “commissions received by some suspects in defence deals” and assets abroad. The new charges are based on an FIR filed by Haryana Police in September 2018.

Skylight Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., a firm reportedly linked to Vadra had allegedly purchased 3.5 acres of land in Gurugram’s Sector 83 from Onkareshwar Properties for Rs 7.50 crore in 2008 during the tenure of Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress as the chief minister, HT quoted Haryana Police as saying.

The police have also alleged that Skylight Hospitality then reportedly sold this land to DLF for Rs 58 crore after getting a commercial licence for the development of the colony using the influence of Hooda making a profit of about Rs 50 crore.

The state government, in return, allotted 350 acres of land to DLF at Wazirabad in Gurugram by violating rules, claimed the police. In the alleged quid pro quo, the DLF made Rs 5,000 crore, the police report said.

Vadra is already under the ED in connection with two PMLA cases, one related to land deals in Bikaner in Rajasthan and the other linked to arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and illegal acquisition of overseas assets.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier moved a Delhi court on 5 January seeking issuance of an open-ended non-bailable warrant against Manoj Arora - an alleged aide of Robert Vadra, in a money laundering case.