Emaar MGF clears air over Rahul Gandhi's shops deal

With Kirit Somaiya targeting Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over purchase and sale of two shops at Metropolitan Mall in Saket, Emaar MGF on Wednesday said all allegations against the company as levelled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP are "completely false, baseless and malicious in nature".

"All allegations against the company as levelled by Shri Kirit Somaiya are completely false, baseless and malicious in nature," said the firm in a statement, adding the "company reserves its right to take appropriate legal remedy in this matter".

Divulging details of the deal, Emaar MGF said: "As regards the queries, our group company had sold two shops in Metropolitan Saket Mall to Shri Rahul Gandhi in 06 December 2005."

"The two shops 17A and 24, both on the ground floor having areas of 996.98 sqft and 514.44 sqft were sold at cost Rs. 9,750 per sqft and Rs. 9,750 per sqft and the total sale value of which is Rs.97,20,555 and Rs, 50,15,790, respectively," said the firm, adding that the shops were never leased nor bought back by the company from Gandhi at any time.

However, it added that as per records, the shops were further sold to Worli Realty Private Limited on February 4, 2010. "Worli Realty Private Limited is not related to any of our companies and/or promoters," it said.

Emaar MGF further said, "The transaction was commercial and commensurate with market rate of the day, a fact evident from records of other transactions during same period. This entire transaction is transparent and has been well disclosed publicly in the past. Furthermore, this information has been in public domain for a long time."

Somaiya said the Congress vice-president and his brother-in-law Robert Vadra have started a new scheme, which takes a kick-back with the DLF.

"What was your intention behind purchasing the shops? Have you decided to leave politics and start a grocery shop," Somaiya sought to know.

"Rahul Gandhi has admitted that he has bought the shops. I would like him to disclose that at what price he bought them and to whom he had given them on lease. He bought them and again sold them to the MGF," he asked.

Hitting back at Somaiya, Rahul Gandhi said he had purchased shops at a mall owned by MGF in the capital, adding that he had mentioned the same in his affidavit.

"Yes I did and it is on my affidavit. What is wrong in it" asked Gandhi.

The Congress vice-president had on Tuesday said he was happy to be targeted. "I am always being targeted, happy to be targeted," said Gandhi, while reacting to the BJP's allegations that his one-time aide Kanishk Singh, who is the director of Emaar-MGF group, was closely linked to the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.