The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, received ₹58 crore as proceeds of crime in connection to a tainted land deal in Gurugram. The ED made this claim in a chargesheet filed before a special court in Delhi, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The court has scheduled a hearing for August 28 to consider the charges and has issued a notice to Vadra.
According to the ED, ₹53 crore was routed through Sky Light Hospitality, while another ₹5 crore was routed through Blue Breeze Trading. The agency's investigation has led to the provisional attachment of 43 immovable properties, totaling ₹38.69 crore, which are identified as direct proceeds of crime or of equivalent value. These properties include land in Bikaner, Rajasthan; units in Good Earth City Centre, Gurugram; units in Bestech Business Tower, Mohali; and residential units in Jay Ambe Township, Ahmedabad. Properties considered as value equivalent proceeds of crime include agricultural lands in Amipur, Faridabad; plots in Mayfield Garden, Gurugram; commercial units in Centrum Plaza, Gurugram; commercial units in Bestech Business Tower, Gurugram; commercial units in India Expo Mart, Noida; an apartment in The Aralias, Gurugram; land in Bikaner, Rajasthan; and commercial space in Noida. The ED asserts that these properties are owned by Robert Vadra, M/s Artex (Proprietor Robert Vadra), M/s Sky Light Reality Pvt. Ltd., or M/s Real Earth Estates.
The case revolves around a 3.5-acre plot of land in Gurgaon's Sector 83. The ED claims Vadra received this land as a bribe, contrary to his claim that he paid ₹7.5 crore for it. The land was later sold to DLF for ₹58 crore. The ED alleges that Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd (OPPL) gave the land to Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd (SLHPL) without any payment, so that Robert Vadra, director of SLHPL, could help OPPL in getting a housing license in the same village from the then Minister of Town and Country Planning, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, by his personal influence as Vadra is the son-in-law of the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The ED's investigation revealed that although the sale deed claimed the payment was made via cheque, the cheque was never encashed. The agency further alleges that the land's actual market value was ₹15 crore, not the declared ₹7.5 crore, resulting in stamp duty evasion of ₹45 lakh, an offense under Section 423 of the Indian Penal Code. The ED has asked Gurgaon police to investigate Vadra's claimed payment.
The ED is seeking punishment for the accused under Section 4 of PMLA, which provides for a maximum jail term of seven years and confiscation of the properties. In response, Vadra's office has claimed that the proceedings are a political witch hunt and that he will defend himself in court. Vadra faces multiple money laundering cases related to land deals made during the previous Congress governments in Haryana and Rajasthan. These deals allegedly involved favors from the then Haryana government, led by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who is accused of allowing changes in land use for properties acquired by Vadra, leading to significant financial gains.
