Robert Vadra may hamper probe if allowed to travel to Spain, ED tells court

The Enforcement Directorate told a Delhi court on Thursday that Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, may hamper the probe if allowed to travel to Spain and other European countries.

The agency made the submissions before Special judge Arvind Kumar while opposing Vadra's application seeking to travel abroad from September 21 to October 8 for business purposes.

Vadra is facing probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency told the court that there were likelihood that if allowed to go, the accused may try to influence the witnesses and destroy the evidence in the case.

The application is an attempt to temper the evidence and meet the co-accused, it said.

The ED's submission was, however, opposed by Vadra's counsel and senior advocate K T S Tulsi, who said that the agency's allegations were unfounded and that the accused will return.

The court will pronounce order on Vadra's plea on Friday.

Vadra had on September 9 moved court seeking permission to travel abroad.

Vadra is facing allegations of money laundering related to purchase of a property in London at 12, Bryanston Square, worth 1.9 million pounds.

The court had in June allowed Vadra to travel to the US and Netherlands for six weeks on account of health reasons.

It, however, had not allowed Vadra to go to the United Kingdom.

The ED had expressed apprehension that the accused may destroy the evidence if allowed to go to the UK.

Vadra was directed on April 1 not to leave the country without prior permission by the local court here which had granted him conditional anticipatory bail.