Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Monday withdrew his petition from the Delhi High Court challenging the lower court’s order summoning him in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in a land deal in Shikohpur, Haryana.
“At the outset, Mr. Pratik K Chadha, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that the petitioners are not interested in pursuing the said petition and seek its withdrawal,” a division bench of Justice Manoj Jain said in the order.
The withdrawal came days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday opposed Vadra’s petition, saying the same was based on false legal documents.
The agency’s lawyer Zohib Hussain responded to submissions filed by Vadra’s lawyer AM Singhvi that the ED lacked jurisdiction to initiate a money laundering case against his client as the crimes alleged against him under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption Act were not listed offenses at the time when the crime was committed.
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Singhvi argued that the land deal took place between 2008 and 2012, while the offenses include Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 423 (dishonest or fraudulent execution of conveyance deed containing false statement of consideration), 467 (forgery of valuable collateral, will, etc.) of the IPC and Section 13 (Criminal). (Misconduct by Public Servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which formed the basis for the ED case was only included as a listed offense in the Anti-Corruption Act in 2013 and 2018.
The prescribed crime is certainly a crime listed in the schedule attached to the Anti-Money Laundering Law, and if money or property is obtained from any such crime, the Executive Directorate can invoke the Anti-Money Laundering Law.
The allegations in the case relate to a 3.53-acre plot of land in Shikohpur, Gurugram.
The executive alleged that Vadra’s company, Sky Light Hospitality, fraudulently purchased the land from Onkareshwar Properties on February 12, 2008. It named Vadra among the accused.
The agency alleged that false advertisements were made in the land acquisition process and claimed that a business license was obtained through his personal influence. The agency’s attorney argued before the lower court that $7.5 crore as payment for the land was shown to be through a check that was never encashed. The land was later sold to DLF for a higher amount, the ED claimed.
The Executive Directorate issued a temporary order in July last year to seize 43 immovable properties worth approximately $37.64 crore as part of the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
