ED’s round 2 questioning of Robert Vadra today, day after 6-hour grilling

New Delhi: On Wednesday, businessman Robert Vadra was questioned for more than five hours by the Enforcement Directorate and has denied owning properties in London.

He will be questioned again on Thursday around 10:30 am.

Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress Rahul Gandhi was quizzed in a money laundering case after a court asked that he join the investigation.

The 49-year-old, who was dropped to the central Delhi office of the agency by his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has got immunity from arrest till February 16.

“He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family,” Priyanka Gandhi said when asked whether she was sending a message by dropping off her husband. “Everyone knows why this is being done,” PTI reported her as saying.

Her comment (and the drop-off) came hours after BJP targeted Vadra, challenging Rahul Gandhi, to explain how a “road-pati” became a “crorepati”.

The Congress has maintained that the cases against Vadra are part of a political witch-hunt by the BJP-led Union government.

Vadra left the agency’s office close to 10 pm, nearly six hours after he went inside.

Vadra’s lawyer, after his questioning said that the businessman has signed an undertaking that he will appear for questioning whenever summoned.

According to sources, Vadra has denied any connection with absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and his cousin Sumit Chadha. He has also denied that he directly or indirectly owns properties in London. He admitted to knowing Manoj Arora, a former employee of a firm linked to him but denied Arora wrote any e-mail on his behalf.

A senior ED official said, “Following a review of the answers given by Vadra, we will take a call whether to ask to him to come for another round of questioning.”

Vadra’s lawyer Suman Jyoti Khaitan said his client appeared on his own and has cooperated with investigators.

“Whatever questions were put to him, he answered all of them. This is a politically motivated case and Vadra has always denied all the charges,” he said.

Khaitan refused to go into the specifics of questioning but said: “He will appear before ED if called again. Whenever the ED will call him, he will appear.”

The money laundering case was initially filed against Manoj Arora, whose role was detected during the investigation in another case against Sanjay Bhandari, by the Income Tax Department.

ED carried out raids in the PMLA case in December and questioned Vadra’s aide Manoj Arora.