Businessman Robert Vadra, the spouse of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is claimed to have amassed Rs 58 crore as proceeds of crime from a suspicious land deal in Gurugram, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.
The central agency described these allegations in a prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) before a Special Court.
The ED accuses Rs 53 crore being channeled through Sky Light Hospitality, while another Rs 5 crore arrived through Blue Breeze Trading. These, the agency argues, were subsequently utilized by Vadra to purchase properties, invest in others, advance loans, and pay for liabilities within his business circle.
A hearing in court on August 28 is to decide on taking cognizance of the charges, and Vadra has been served notice relating to the case.
The ED has attached provisionally 43 immovable properties worth Rs 38.69 crore that it says are either direct proceeds or their equivalent of the alleged crime. These are:
Directly linked properties:
- Land in Bikaner, Rajasthan
- Apartments in Good Earth City Centre, Gurugram
- Apartments in Bestech Business Tower, Mohali
- Residential apartments in Jay Ambe Township, Ahmedabad
Equivalent value properties:
- Farm land in Amipur, Faridabad
- Plots in Mayfield Garden, Gurugram
- Commercial apartments in Centrum Plaza and Bestech Business Tower, Gurugram
- Commercial areas in India Expo Mart, Noida
- Apartment in The Aralias, Gurugram
The agency mentioned these assets belong to Vadra either directly or indirectly through such entities as Artex (a sole proprietorship), Sky Light Realty Pvt Ltd, and Real Earth Estates LLP.
In its chargesheet, the ED relied on several sections of the PMLA, with emphasis on the offence of money laundering under Section 3, and other clauses dealing with burden of proof, related transactions, and non-bailable crimes.
At the center of the case is a 2008 real estate transaction in which Vadra's firm, Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, bought 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur village from Omkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd for Rs 7.5 crore. The ED claims this was a bogus transaction intended to be a quid pro quo.
The department alleges that while payment through cheque was mentioned in the sale deed, the cheque was never encashed. Further, the actual market price of the land was said to be Rs 15 crore—twice the reported figure—giving rise to evasion of stamp duty of Rs 45 lakh, an offense under Section 423 of the Indian Penal Code.
As per the ED, this deal virtually became a bribe: Omkareshwar gifted the property to Skylight Hospitality without any payment, and Vadra is said to have used his position to make then Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda grant Omkareshwar a housing licence in the same village.
The Enforcement Directorate is demanding the highest penalty as per the PMLA, which also includes up to seven years of imprisonment and seizure of the tainted assets.
This high-profile case remains politically sensitive, with potential ramifications for the Congress party and ongoing debates surrounding corruption and cronyism in land dealings.
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