Enforcement Directorate Issues Fresh Summons Against Robert Vadra

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra in an ongoing probe into the 2012 Kolayat land deal case, sources said. An ED official told IANS: “We have issued fresh summons to Vadra to appear before the agency in the first week of December.”

The official said fresh summons were issued after Vadra failed to appear before the agency earlier this month. “Vadra himself did not appear on the last day and instead sent his legal representative with documents. We have told Vadra that we need to examine him personally and so he must depose before the agency,” the official said. The ED action comes in the wake of a media report that a firm that gave the loan to buy Vadra land at a premium got a big relief from the Income Tax Settlement Commission.

The report by The Indian Express said the ED, which is investigating a web of controversial land transactions in Bikaner involving Vadra’s companies, has asked the Income Tax Settlement Commission for details on its proceedings in the case related to Bhushan Power and Steel Limited, which gave a loan to a company that bought land owned by Vadra’s firm at seven times the acquisition cost. The ED official also confirmed that the agency has asked the Income Tax Settlement Commission for details on its proceedings. (IANS)