ED files chargesheet against Robert Vadra in UK-based Sanjay Bhandari case
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has filed a chargesheet against businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a money laundering case linked to UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari, official sources said.
The prosecution complaint has been filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here, they said.
This is the second money laundering chargesheet against Vadra. In July, he was chargesheeted by the ED in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a land deal in Haryana's Shikohpur.
Vadra, 56, has been questioned by the ED in the Bhandari-linked case in the past.
Bhandari, whose extradition request has been turned down by a UK court, was declared a fugitive economic offender by a Delhi court in July.
The 63-year-old arms consultant fled to London in 2016 soon after the Income-Tax department raided him in Delhi.
The ED filed a criminal case against Bhandari and others under the PMLA in February 2017, taking cognisance of the I-T department chargesheet filed against him under the anti-black money law of 2015.
The agency has earlier filed two chargesheets in his case even as it has been probing Bhandari's links with Vadra related to a house located in London.
Vadra has denied that he owned any London property directly or indirectly.
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge met a high-level delegation from Chile, led by Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday to discuss collaboration in emerging technologies, clean energy, and startup ecosystems, officials said.
The delegation’s visit to Bengaluru, as part of its India engagements, underscores Karnataka’s growing prominence as a preferred partner for global collaborations in technology, innovation, and startup ecosystems, officials added.
The discussions reflected strong alignment between Chile’s evolving technology-focused growth strategy and Karnataka’s established leadership in innovation and deep-tech ecosystems, according to a statement.
Both sides explored opportunities to build partnerships that move beyond traditional sectors and focus on innovation-led growth, talent exchange, and market access.
The meeting focused on opportunities in renewable energy, including green hydrogen and sustainable industrial innovation.
Other potential areas of collaboration included marine biotechnology, aquaculture technologies, and AI applications across traditional industries.
According to the state IT minister, Karnataka is now a global hub for deep-tech, AI, biotech, aerospace, and advanced research, backed by one of the world’s strongest talent pipelines.
“As partners under the global innovation alliance, we must move beyond agreements on paper to actionable collaboration,” Kharge said.
“We are keen to work with Chile on startup exchanges, market access programmes, and building joint innovation corridors, including R&D centres, incubators, and accelerators. Chile’s position as a gateway to Latin America presents a significant opportunity for our startups to scale globally,” he added.
Officials said the engagement builds on the Letter of Intent signed between the Government of Karnataka and the Government of Chile during the Bengaluru Tech Summit, which established a framework for collaboration in startups, emerging technologies, research, and skill development under the Global Innovation Alliance.
Mackenna, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the country is actively advancing its transition toward a knowledge- and technology-driven economy.
“Our engagement with Karnataka reflects our interest in building strong innovation partnerships that enable technology exchange, talent collaboration, and access to dynamic startup ecosystems,” he added.
“We see significant potential to work together in sectors such as clean energy, digital technologies, and emerging industries, while also strengthening Chile’s role as a bridge between India and Latin America,” he said.
