New Delhi, India
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with her husband Robert Vadra, has been named for the first time in Indian Enforcement Directorate's (ED) chargesheet in a money-laundering case, local media reported citing sources.
The reports have added that the chargesheet has been filed against businessman CC Thampi. The document reportedly also added a person named Sumit Chadha, who is said to be a British national of Indian origin.
The case involved a Delhi-based real estate agent HL Pahwa and fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi's name has come up in ED's chargesheet for the first time. The agency has named Robert Vadra often in the case, this time he has been named as a "listed".
The case revolves around the alleged purchase and sale of land in India's northern state of Haryana.
As reported, ED believes that Thampi and Chadha helped Bhandari, who is accused of violating the Official Secrets Act, which is legislation that provides for the protection of state secrets and official information, mainly related to national security.
The agency has referred to Priyanka's transactions with Pahwa, who sold her agricultural land in Faridabad in 2006 and repurchased it four years later.
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#WATCH | Nagpur: On Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's name in ED chargesheet, Congress leader Pawan Khera says, "Look at what they'll do ahead of the elections, it's just the beginning. They are not doing it for the first time, they do such conspiracies when elections… pic.twitter.com/4taOWjFyc0
— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2023
ED sources have also told news outlet NDTV that in Faridabad's Amipur village, a house was purchased in Priyaka's name in April 2006. It was later sold back to Pahwa at the same time as the land.
Pahwa is the same agent who allegedly sold Robert Vadra 40.8 acres of land in Amipur to him in December 2010.
Previous chargesheets have mentioned a similar deal in which 486 acres were executed by Thampi. Both Thampi and Robert Vadra have been named by the ED in the chargesheet. Thampi was arrested in 2020, but he has been out on bail.
(With inputs from agencies)