Robert Vadra ready to appear before ED, no intention to avoid summons: Lawyer
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Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra 's husband Robert Vadra has no intention of avoiding summons and is ready to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) anytime before or after his travel abroad later this month, his lawyer Suman Khaitan said on Thursday.The assertion came two days after Vadra failed to appear before the ED after he skipped the agency's summons on June 10 for questioning in a money laundering case linked to UK-based alleged arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari.Vadra, the Wayanad MP's husband, was summoned by the probe agency to record his statement in the case on June 10 but could not appear as he had flu-like symptoms on June 9 and undertook a COVID test according to the health protocol, his lawyer said.He said Vadra was ready to record his statement virtually but the agency did not accept the plea and wanted his physical presence to do the needful."My client Robert Vadra has been made aware of certain media reports that erroneously suggest that my Client has been avoiding ED summons. My client would like to bring the true facts to your attention and would like to state unequivocally that such media reports are completely untrue."Vadra has complied with all the ED summons, demands for information and documentation for the last ten years. He has repeatedly affirmed and demonstrated his full cooperation with the authorities and will continue his full cooperation as a law-abiding citizen of India," Khaitan said in a statement.He said Vadra received a summons to appear before the ED on June 10 in respect of a case in which he has already appeared before the agency on multiple occasions dating back to 2019 when he also filed voluminous documents."On 09.06.2025, he came down with flu-like symptoms and was advised to take a COVID-19 test . This is in keeping with the current practice being followed by many institutions including the PMO. Consequently, he informed the ED that he would not be able to attend proceedings in person on 10.06.2025."He also informed the ED that as a law-abiding citizen who is keen on clearing his name, he is happy to attend the proceedings in person as soon as he is medically cleared to do so. He also volunteered to attend proceedings virtually if the ED thought it necessary to carry them out immediately," Vadra's lawyer said.The lawyer said Vadra is scheduled to travel abroad later this month to attend his daughter's college graduation ceremony."He (Vadra) is perfectly happy to attend proceedings at any other time before or after the trip just as he has already done several times," his counsel said.Khaitan also claimed that he has also recently submitted voluminous documents and answered all the questions asked by ED in the past."Any attempt to suggest that Mr. Vadra's attendance of his daughter's graduation ceremony is some sort of ruse to avoid attending any proceedings is completely untrue, unacceptable and without any basis in fact. This is especially clear from the fact that all foreign travels by Mr. Vadra, are always with prior notice to and knowledge of ED and with the prior permission of the Court."It is a matter of record with ED that Mr. Vadra has regularly and repeatedly appeared before the ED whenever summoned and there is no basis or reason to even think that Mr Vadra will ever try to give any untrue reason while asking for time to appear before ED," his lawyer asserted.The sources said Vadra had sought an adjournment of Tuesday's summons, and he will now be given a fresh date. The ED wants to record Vadra's statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and then file a charge sheet against him before the court, sources said.The federal probe agency had questioned the 56-year-old businessman for three consecutive days in April in a separate money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a 2008 land deal in Haryana.Bhandari (63) fled to London in 2016, soon after the Income Tax Department raided him in Delhi.A UK court earlier this month refused an application filed by the Indian government seeking permission to appeal in Britain's Supreme Court against the discharge of Bhandari in an extradition case, virtually ruling out chances of him being brought to the country to face the law.The ED filed a charge sheet in this case in 2023, alleging that Bhandari acquired the 12, Bryanston Square house in London in 2009 and got it renovated "as per the directions of Robert Vadra, who provided the funds for the renovation".Vadra has denied that he owns any London property directly or indirectly.Terming the charges a "political witch hunt", Vadra has said he is being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends.
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