The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Robert Vadra, son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, renovated and stayed at a London property which is a ‘proceeds of crime’ in a money laundering case against alleged middleman Sanjay Bhandari. Bhandari fled to the UK in 2016 and the British government approved his extradition to India earlier this year.

The ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are investigating charges of money laundering and tax evasion against Bhandari for holding undisclosed assets abroad.

In a statement, the ED said it has filed a fresh charge sheet in the case against a UAE-based NRI businessman and a UK national.

The ED alleged that the businessman, C C or Cheruvathur Chakutty Thampi, is a close associate of Vadra. Thampi was arrested in January 2020 and is currently out on bail.

The probe found that Thampi and Sumit Chadha, the UK national, were involved in the concealment and use of the proceeds of crime, according to the ED.

The ED claimed that Vadra not only renovated the London property through Chadha but also stayed there. The agency also said that Vadra and Thampi purchased a large piece of land near Delhi and had financial transactions with each other.

Vadra, who is the husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has been questioned by the ED in the past and has denied any wrongdoing.

The Delhi court has taken cognizance of the ED’s charge sheet and issued summons to Thampi and Chadha. It has also issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Chadha, who has not joined the probe.

The ED had filed a criminal case of money laundering against Bhandari and others in February 2017. In its supplementary charge sheet, the ED said Chadha had assisted Bhandari in the concealment, acquisition, possession, and use of the proceeds of crime.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for January 29, 2024.