Sanjay Bhandari money laundering case: ED files fresh chargesheet against Robert Vadra

Robert Vadra

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday filed a prosecution complaint against businessman Robert Vadra in connection with its money-laundering probe in connection with the case linked to UK-based defence dealer Sanjay Bhandari.

The chargesheet has been submitted before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, marking a fresh push in the long-running investigation into alleged undisclosed overseas assets and financial ties.

Officials said that Vadra’s statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was recorded in July this year. The agency alleged he was involved in overseas transactions and properties tied to Bhandari, who is already under scrutiny for holding undisclosed assets abroad.

The case, in which the ED has filed a fresh chargesheet, traces back to income-tax raids on Bhandari in 2016, during which investigators reportedly recovered emails and documents referencing Vadra and his associates.

According to the investigation agency, the material pointed to the renovation of a London property believed to be owned by Bhandari and allegedly refurbished on Vadra’s instructions through intermediaries.

Investigators have also examined land deals in Haryana over the years involving Vadra, Bhandari and people connected to both, claiming the transactions were part of a wider financial arrangement through which assets were acquired and funds moved. Bhandari, who left India in 2016, has since been declared a fugitive economic offender by a Delhi court.

Several properties in India that the agency says are linked to Vadra or associated entities have been attached under anti-money laundering provisions, with the ED asserting they constitute proceeds of crime from Bhandari’s offshore operations.

Vadra has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling the case politically motivated. He has maintained he does not own any London property and has questioned the ED’s interpretation of the documents seized during the investigation.