ED arrests Robert Vadra's aide: Sonia Gandhi's name emerges; contradictions in statements

Trouble seems to be mounting for Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra as the arrested accused CC Thampi has revealed before the investigators that he met Robert Vadra through the personal assistant of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, PP Madhavan. In a statement, recorded by the financial probe agency, when Thampi was asked how he met Vadra for the first time, he told the investigators that Madhavan, PA to Sonia Gandhi had introduced him to Robert Vadra. This is a significant development because when Robert Vadra was asked about the same, on February 6, 2019, he had told ED that he met him on an Emirates flight.

The contradiction raises several questions — why is Robert Vadra trying to mislead investigators? Why is he distancing from CC Thampi. Thampi, an accused in the London property case involving Robert Vadra was arrested by ED on January 17. Thampi, a Dubai-based NRI is the controller of Skylight Investments, FZE, Dubai and owner of Holiday Group.

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According to the ED, in 2009, Sanjay Bhandari's firm Santech FZE purchased 12 Bryanston Square property for 1.9 million pounds sterling from a private holding called Vortex. As soon the property was sold, all shares of Vortex were purchased by Skylight Investments, Dubai.
Thampi is also being investigated and was earlier quizzed by the ED in Gurugram land scam.

ED sources claim that the agency has come across several properties, including property worth 1.9 million pounds, another property worth 4 million pounds, one more property worth 5 million pounds and six other flats. These properties are in London and the agency suspects it may be associated with Vadra. The total worth of properties is over 12 million pounds.

According to ED sources, London properties are part of kickbacks received in a petroleum deal. An amount of 1.9 million pounds was also received. The money was transferred to Santech International, FZC, UAE (a company controlled Sanjay Bhandari). Santech then purchased the 12 Bryanston mansion from Vortex (Pvt holding) and later Vortex shares were transferred to Skylight Investment FZE UAE by NRI businessman Thampi.

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