New Delhi: The Income Tax department’s probe into the transactions of arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari has revealed that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra may have been gifted a benami flat in London in 2009 by the former.
The address of the property in question is – House No. 12 Ellerton House, Bryanston Square, London.
The Ministry of Finance is now reportedly looking into the report whether Vadra is involved in purchase of the benami mansion in London in 2009 or not.
According media reports, which claims to access the reports prepared by the Enforcement Directorate ( ED) and I-T officials, the government agencies have focused their probe on the email communication of Vadra and his aide Manoj Arora.
Last month, investigative agencies had raided 18 premises owned by Sanjay Bhandari and seized cash and valuable documents.
The papers seized during the search operation revealed a trail of emails between Vadra and his assistant and Bhandari’s London based relative Sumit Chadda regarding the purchase of property worth Rs 19 crore in 2009.
There are emails also regarding renovation work carried out on the property before it was sold in June 2010.
The report mentioned that on April 4, 2004, Chadda had sent an email to Vadra detailing him about the progress of renovation works and asked him for reimbursement of expenses.
The report quoted Vadra’s reply to Chadda in which the businessman wrote that ‘he would look into the issue’ and that his secretary Manoj will be in touch.
Report also say that during investigations, Bhandari was specifically questioned whether Vadra was the beneficiary of the sale of the property in London. He did not deny the same but avoided a direct answer by stating that he would he able to confirm it by referring it to sale deed kept with his lawyer in London.
Vadra's legal firm, however, has denied that he owned the London property and that he had no business ties with Bhandari or Chadha.
“Our clients wish to categorically and unquivocally state that they do not own, directly or indirectly, any house described as 12, Ellerton House, Bryanston Square, London," his legal firm said.
Bhandari, the owner of Offset India Solutions (OIS), has been under the scanner for the last several years. During the raid on his offices and residence in April, investigators had recovered several documents, including some classified government documents. The government is also examining whether it is a fit case to invoke the ‘Official Secrets Act’ against Bhandari.
In 2014, after the change of guard at the Centre, the government had red-flagged his business dealings and advised the Ministry of Defence to keep him at a distance.
Meanwhile, the Congress has denied all the charges alleging ‘political witch- hunt’.
"An individual is being systematically prosecuted and hounded time and again, year after year without an iota of evidence," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
On the other hand, senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has written a letter to ED Director, Karnal Singh demanding an inquiry into reports that Vadra ‘proxy-owned’ property in London.
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