Robert Vadra Accused of Taking Land as Bribe in Gurgaon
Gurugram : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that businessman Robert Vadra received a 3.5-acre plot in Gurgaon’s Sector 83 as a bribe.
According to the agency’s July 17 chargesheet, the land was not purchased for ₹7.5 crore, as Vadra has claimed, but was given free by Onkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd (OPPL) to Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd (SLHPL), where Vadra is a director.
The ED says the land was provided to secure Vadra’s help in obtaining a housing licence for OPPL in the same village. At the time, Bhupinder Singh Hooda was the chief minister of Haryana and also the minister of town and country planning.
ED Claims Political Influence Was Used
The prosecution complaint states Vadra had personal influence over Hooda due to being the son-in-law of then Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The agency alleges this relationship facilitated OPPL’s licence approval.
The chargesheet follows the ED’s attachment of assets worth over ₹37 crore allegedly linked to Vadra. These include 39.7 acres in Amipur village, Faridabad. The agency claims these assets were not disclosed in his spouse Priyanka Gandhi’s Lok Sabha election affidavit.
Legal Implications for Priyanka Gandhi
Priyanka Gandhi, who won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in November, has also come under legal scrutiny.
The alleged non-disclosure of Vadra’s properties has been challenged before the Kerala High Court. The court has issued her a notice on the matter.
Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, false or incomplete declarations in poll affidavits can lead to disqualification and imprisonment.
Details of the Gurgaon Land Deal
According to ED’s findings, SLHPL purchased 3.53 acres from OPPL through sale deed No. 4928 on February 12, 2008. Payment was shown via cheque No. 607251. However, the cheque was never encashed. Instead, the payment was made six months later through another cheque.
The agency claims this proves the transaction details in the sale deed were false. Moreover, the payment came from Skylight Realty Pvt Ltd (SLRPL), not SLHPL, and SLRPL did not have ₹7.5 crore in its account at the time.
ED also says the ₹45 lakh stamp duty for the sale was paid by the seller, not the buyer.
Court Proceedings Ahead
A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court has issued a notice to Vadra to appear on August 28. The court will then decide whether to take cognisance of the complaint and frame charges.
Vadra and ten others, including OPPL promoter-directors Satyanand Yajee and Kewal Singh Virk, have been accused of laundering “proceeds of crime” worth ₹58 crore.
Statements from at least 20 witnesses, including Haryana government officials and OPPL promoters, have been recorded in the investigation.