Robert Vadra Appears Before ED for Third Consecutive Day in Haryana Land Deal Case
New Delhi, April 17: Businessman Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third day in a row on Thursday in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation. The case is related to alleged irregularities in a controversial land transaction in Haryana dating back to 2008.
According to sources in the ED, Vadra has already faced over ten hours of questioning across the past two days. Thursday’s session, which began shortly after 11 a.m. at the ED office in central Delhi, continued the process of recording his statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He was once again accompanied by his wife, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress Member of Parliament from Wayanad.
The case under investigation pertains to a land deal in the Manesar-Shikohpur area (now Sector 83) in Gurugram, Haryana. In February 2008, Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, a company in which Vadra previously held a directorial position, purchased 3.5 acres of land from Onkareshwar Properties for Rs 7.5 crore. Four years later, in September 2012, the same land was sold to real estate giant DLF for Rs 58 crore.
The deal came under the scanner in October 2012 after senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, then serving as the Director General of Land Consolidation and Land Records-cum-Inspector-General of Registration of Haryana, cancelled the land mutation. Khemka cited violations of the Haryana Consolidation Act and irregularities in procedural compliance as the reasons for his decision. The matter snowballed into a political controversy, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), then in opposition, accusing the Congress of facilitating corrupt land deals and favoring Vadra due to his relationship with the party’s top leadership.
The Haryana Police had registered an FIR into the deal in 2018, prompting further investigation. The ED’s probe focuses on whether the proceeds from the deal involved money laundering and if undue benefits were granted due to political influence.
Robert Vadra has strongly refuted the allegations, calling the entire case an outcome of political vendetta. He has asserted that he and his companies have consistently cooperated with the investigation and submitted thousands of documents to the authorities over the years. He also stressed the emotional and mental toll these prolonged inquiries have taken, urging the ED to bring closure to the case, which has lingered for nearly two decades.
Vadra has previously been questioned in connection with two other money laundering cases as well, and his latest round of appearances has renewed the spotlight on high-profile land deals involving politically connected individuals.
