April 16th 2025.
New Delhi: On Wednesday, Robert Vadra, the businessman brother-in-law of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was once again summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection to a 2008 Haryana land deal that is suspected to involve money laundering. This was the second day in a row that Vadra has been questioned by the ED, and the session lasted for about five hours.
The 56-year-old businessman has denounced the ED's actions as a political vendetta and expressed his belief that the people of the country have lost trust in the investigative agencies. Accompanied by his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress MP from Kerala's Wayanad, Vadra arrived at the ED office at 11 am. Before entering the office, the couple shared a warm hug.
After a brief lunch break at home, Vadra returned to the ED office for further questioning. He finally left the office at 6 pm. Throughout the entire session, Priyanka Gandhi remained in the visitors' room at the office building, called 'Pravartan Bhawan' on APJ Abdul Kalam Road.
Vadra has been asked to appear again for questioning on Thursday. According to sources, he was confronted with around a dozen questions during his ten hours of questioning over the course of two days. The ED is recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Vadra maintains that he has always cooperated with the investigating agencies and has provided them with numerous documents. He also stated that cases as old as 20 years need to be resolved and closed. In an interview with PTI, Vadra alleged that he is being targeted because of his connection to the Gandhi family and that things would have been different if he was associated with the BJP.
The ED's investigation into Vadra is related to a land deal in Haryana's Manesar-Shikohpur in Gurugram. In February 2008, a company called Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, where Vadra was a director at the time, purchased 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur from Onkareshwar Properties for Rs 7.5 crore. At that time, the Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda was in power. Four years later, in September 2012, the same land was sold to real estate giant DLF for Rs 58 crore.
This land deal became controversial in October 2012 when IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was the director general of Land Consolidation and Land Records-cum-Inspector-General of Registration of Haryana at the time, cancelled the mutation of the land, citing violation of state consolidation Act and other procedures. The BJP, who was the opposition party at the time, accused Vadra and his family of corruption and nepotism.
In 2018, the Haryana Police filed an FIR to investigate this land deal. Vadra has previously been questioned by the ED in connection to two other money laundering cases.
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