Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi has been named by the Enforcement Directorate in its chargesheet filed in a case pertaining to Prevention of Money Laundering Act, reported ANI. The chargesheet mentions her role in purchasing agricultural land measuring 40 kanal (five acres) in Haryana's Faridabad from a Delhi-based real estate agent HL Pahwa in 2006 and selling the same land to him in February 2010.
As per the enforcement agency, the land in Faridabad's Amipur village was purchased from Pahwa, the same agent from whom Priyanka's husband RObert Vadra also purchased three pieces of land measuring 334 kanals (40.08 acres) in Amipur from 2005-05 and sold the same land to him in December 2010.
According to the ANI report, Pahwa has also sold land to NRI businessman CC Thampi.
The larger case involves fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, who fled India for the UK in 2016. Bhandari has been under investigation by multiple agencies for money laundering, violation of foreign exchange and black money laws, and the Official Secrets Act.
Thampi has been accused of facilitating Bhandari with hiding proceeds of crime aling with Sumit Chadha, a British national.
In an earlier chargesheet, the ED named Robert Vadra in connection with the case as an alleged close aid of Thampi.
The fresh chargesheet filed by the ED mentions that Pahwa was receiving cash out of books for the purpose of acquisition of land.
Reacting to the development, Aam Aadmi Party chief National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said, "We have been seeing that ED is continuously taking actions against the opposition leaders and our leaders are in jail. The law of 'guilty until proven innocent' applies to the opposition, whereas the law of 'innocent until proven guilty' applies to the entire country..."