London house deal: Bhandari acknowledges email exchange with Vadra

Tells I-T Department that the email, sent on April 4, 2010, was indeed exchanged between Vadra and him, The Indian Express reports

Adding fuel to the controversy surrounding alleged links between Robert Vadra and defence consultant Sanjay Bhandari, the latter is said to have admitted to an email exchange with Vadra, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.

Bhandari admitted that the email trail recovered from his computer was of messages exchanged between him, Vadra and Vadra’s assistant Manoj Arora. He acknowledged the email exchange that took place on April 4, 2010 and was on the subject of finalizing interiors for a London apartment. This was the only email sent from Vadra’s own email ID and signed off by him, the publication reported. 

The email contained an attachment which stated the hike in price for refurbishing the house from 28,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds on the back of additional work.  

Vadra is currently being probed by investigative agencies after the Income Tax (I-T) Department raided the premises of Bhandari. The search raised suspicions that Bhandari may have purchased a ‘benami’ mansion in London for the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi. The house was bought in October 2009 and sold in June 2010. 

Reacting to these reports, the BJP on Tuesday attacked the Congress party, stating that Vadra had the backing from 10, Janpath (the official residence of Sonia Gandhi). "Vadra has the blessings of 10 Janpath. That is why he has earned so much money. He can't be dubbed as a private citizen. Whatever he has done has the backing of Sonia Gandhi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi," BJP National Secretary Srikant Sharma had said.  Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya sought a detailed inquiry by the Enforcement Directorate into the alleged involvement of Vadra. 

The Congress President countered the attack and said, “This is a conspiracy for a Congress-free country. What is 

the meaning of a Congress-free India. Every day they make new excuses. They level false charges. If there is something, there should be an impartial probe. Everything will become clear."