ED questions Vadra for over 6 hours in money laundering case for second day
New Delhi, Feb 7: Robert Vadra, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law, was questioned by Enforcement Directorate for the second day on Thursday, for over six hours, in connection with a probe into allegations he laundered money to purchase illegal foreign assets.
Official sources said Vadra was required to rejoin the probe on Thursday as he needed to answer more questions on allegedly acquiring immovable assets in the United Kingdom.
They said the questioning of Vadra is underway and it is understood that he is being "confronted with" documents that the agency has obtained or seized as part of its probe in the case, including those linked to absconding defence dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
Vadra has also shared documents with the investigating officer of the case and has assured some more will be provided as and when he gets them, the sources said.
He was grilled for five-and-a half hours for the first time in the case on Wednesday. His lawyer said Wednesday night that Vadra had replied to every question put to him.
On Thursday, Vadra arrived at the ED office in Jamnagar House in central Delhi in an SUV at about 11.25 am, about an hour after his team of lawyers reached there.
After two hours of questioning, he left for lunch and returned about an hour later to resume the session.
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 has told a Delhi court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belong to Vadra. These include two houses, one worth 5 million GBP and the other valued at 4 million GBP, six other flats and more properties.
Vadra has denied the allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him. He said he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends.
Vadra's lawyer K T S Tulsi told reporters outside the ED office Thursday his client has not committed any wrongdoing.
A team of three ED officials, including the investigating officer of the case, has put across about two dozen questions to Vadra over two days.
His statement is being recorded under Section 50 (powers of authorities regarding summons, production of documents and to give evidence) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, as was done on Wednesday, the sources added.
His appearance before the ED acquired political overtones after his wife Priyanka Gandhi, appointed Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, accompanies him to the investigating agency's office on Wednesday. She took charge of her new post at the Congress national headquarters on Akbar Road shortly after that.
"He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," Priyanka Gandhi said in a show of support to Vadra, who had returned from London earlier on Wednesday.
That was the first time Vadra had appeared before any probe agency in connection with alleged dubious financial dealings.
On February 2, he was directed by a Delhi court to appear before the central probe agency and cooperate in the probe after he knocked on its door seeking anticipatory bail in the money laundering case.
In December last year, the ED conducted raids in the case and grilled his close aide Manoj Arora, an employee of Skylight Hospitality LLP, a firm linked to Vadra, as well as others.
The agency told the court that it filed a PMLA case against Arora after his role cropped up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the 2015 anti-black money legislation against Bhandari.
It alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for 1.9 million GBP and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately 65,900 GBP on its renovation.
Seizing on the questioning of Vadra, the BJP has attacked the Congress and alleged he got kickbacks from a petroleum and a defence deal during the UPA rule.
Vadra is also expected to present himself before ED on February 12 in Jaipur in an unrelated money-laundering case related to a land scam in Bikaner. The Rajasthan High Court has directed him to cooperate with the agency in the case.
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Philippines president declares national energy emergency amid global fuel supply risks
Manila: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a national energy emergency, citing the “imminent danger” to the country’s fuel supply due to global disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
“The declaration of a state of national energy emergency will enable the government… to implement responsive and coordinated measures under existing laws to address the risks posed by disruptions in the global energy supply and the domestic economy,” Al Jazeera quoted Marcos Jr as saying.
As part of the emergency response, a committee has been formed to ensure the orderly movement, supply, distribution and availability of fuel, food, medicine, agricultural products and other essential goods, he said.
The emergency declaration, which will remain in force for one year, allows the government to procure fuel in advance and take action against hoarding and profiteering.
Authorities are also empowered to take action against the hoarding, profiteering and manipulation of petroleum product supplies.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the country currently has about 45 days of fuel supply based on current consumption. She added that the government is working to procure 1 million barrels of oil from countries within and outside Southeast Asia to build a buffer stock, though uncertainties remain.
Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said the government is in talks with Washington to secure exemptions that would allow for the purchase of oil from countries under US sanctions.
The announcement comes amid rising public discontent. Transport workers, commuters, and consumer groups have planned a two-day strike to protest fuel price hikes and what they call inadequate government response.
Piston, a federation of public transport associations, described the declaration of a national energy emergency as a “superficial band-aid that deliberately ignores the structural roots of the fuel crisis”.
“If the government genuinely intends to protect transport workers and commuters from this geopolitical crisis, it would immediately suspend the Excise Tax and Value-Added Tax on petroleum products to drastically lower prices overnight,” Al Jazeera quoted Piston as saying.
Renato Reyes Jr, of the progressive civil society coalition Bayan, said the declaration “does not address the basic problem of runaway oil prices and [their] effects on the mass transport system and other sectors in the country”.
As part of the government’s mitigation measures, students and workers in some cities are being given free access to bus rides, and the government has started to provide a 5,000 peso subsidy for public transport workers, including motorcycle taxi drivers, to help them cope with rising fuel costs.
