Enforcement Directorate to resume Robert Vadra's questioning in money laundering case today

Enforcement Directorate (ED) will resume questioning of businessman Robert Vadra on Thursday, a day after the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi was grilled for nearly 6 hours in the agency's money laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets.

Vadra was Wednesday questioned by ED in New Delhi for about five-and-a half hours, days after he was directed by a city court to appear before the central probe agency.

Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him in a white Toyota Land Cruiser and dropped him outside the ED's office in Jamnagar House, a move seen as sending a political message to Congress's opponents ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Vadra left the office at about 9:40 PM alone in the same car in which Priyanka had dropped him.

His lawyer said Vadra has replied to every question that was put to him.

"All charges against him are wrong. We will cooperate with the agency 100%. He will come whenever he is called," Suman Jyoti Khaitan, his lawyer told the mediapersons waiting outside the ED office.

Officials said Vadra has been called again Thursday.

It is for the first time that Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings.

Vadra was directed by a Delhi court on February 2 to cooperate with the probe being carried out by ED after he knocked at its door seeking anticipatory bail in the money laundering case.

The court directed him to appear before ED on Wednesday on his return from London.

The BJP seized on the questioning of Vadra to attack the Congress and alleged he got kickbacks from a petroleum and defence deals took place during the UPA regime.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged at a news conference that Vadra bought 8 to 9 properties in London from the money he got as kickbacks from a petroleum and a defence deal which took place in 2008-09. Patra did not provide any evidence to back his claim.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed the charges against Vadra are "fickle, superficial, non-existent, non-substantive".

The BJP had full four and a half years to investigate but could not find anything, he claimed at a news conference.

The attempt is to mislead, confuse and to create an ambience before election, but people see through this, he said.

The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him.

The agency had also told the court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belongs to Vadra, including two houses of five and four million each, six other flats and more properties.

(With PTI inputs)