ED names Robert Vadra as accused in black-money case tied to London property used by him

The Enforcement Directorate has formally named Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, as an accused in an alleged black-money case linked to UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari.

A supplementary prosecution complaint — akin to a chargesheet — was filed before a special court at the Rouse Avenue complex on November 15. The court is scheduled to take up the matter on December 6.

Bhandari, who fled to London following an Income Tax department search in 2016, has been under investigation by the ED since 2017 under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) Act. The agency has long been probing his alleged financial links with Vadra.

The latest complaint against Vadra comes three months after the agency named him in a separate prosecution complaint connected to an ongoing money-laundering investigation into a 2008 land deal involving a 3.53-acre plot in Gurgaon’s Shikohpur village.

According to sources, the ED’s investigation found that Vadra assisted Bhandari and allegedly used the property at 12, Bryanston Square in London — which it claims constitutes proceeds of crime. Investigators say the property, purchased by Bhandari for GBP 1.9 million, was furnished and “beneficially used” by Vadra.

Vadra has previously denied owning any property in London, directly or indirectly.

In July, a Delhi court declared Bhandari a fugitive economic offender, allowing the ED to move toward seizing his assets. The agency has claimed undisclosed foreign income and assets worth ₹655 crore in Bhandari’s name, and a total tax evasion of ₹196 crore including penalty and interest.