The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday extended interim bail protection to businessman Robert Vadra till March 2. During the course of hearing today, the ED told the court that Vadra was not cooperating the officials in money laundering probe. Vadra’s counsel, however, denied the charge.
The ED counsel also said that Vadra is accompanied by a ‘baraat’ (procession) wherever he goes, whether to ED or to court. This comes days after ED grilled him in connection with a money laundering case and a land scam in Rajasthan’s Bikaner.
The interim bail granted to Vadra ended on Saturday. Vadra personally appeared before the Patiala House Court in Delhi on Saturday for hearing.
Vadra, who is brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, was granted interim bail by the court on February 2 till today. The court had asked him to pay the court a surety amount of Rs 1 lakh.
The court had even directed Vadra to appear before the ED in connection with the probe. The case pertains to illegal ownership of properties in London.
On Saturday, Vadra had termed as “witch hunt” the Enforcement Directorate’s action of attaching assets of a firm linked to him, and claimed that it showed complete misuse of assertion of power.
Vadra’s remark comes in the backdrop of ED’s action to attach assets worth Rs 4.62 crore of a firm linked to him in connection with the Bikaner land scam money laundering case. The ED issued a provisional order for attachment of the assets under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Th agency had grilled Vadra in this case in Jaipur twice earlier this week. His mother Maureen was also asked to depose.
Vadra was also questioned by the ED for three consecutive days last week in connection with a probe into allegations of money laundering to purchase assets abroad.
