Vadra, Karti: Two high-profile visitors at ED office on same day

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) was abuzz with activity on Thursday with two high-profile politically-linked persons, Robert Vadra and Karti Chidambaram, appearing before the agency for questioning in separate money-laundering investigations being conducted against them.

First to arrive at the ED's Jamnagar House office in central Delhi was Karti, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, at about 11 am.

The office houses some special investigation and vigilance units of the central probe agency. A posse of Delhi Police and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel was deployed around the premises and barricades were put up to regulate the mediapersons waiting outside the complex.

Official sources said Karti was being grilled in the INX Media case. The ED had lodged the criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in May, 2017.

The sources said the investigating officer of the case would record Karti's statement under the PMLA, as was done in the past.

The senior Chidambaram has also been questioned by the ED in the case.

About 25 minutes after Karti, Congress president Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra arrived at the same office for grilling in a money-laundering case, in which he is facing allegations of carrying out illegal transactions to purchase foreign assets.

Vadra, who reached the ED office in a sports utility vehicle (SUV) along with a lawyer, appeared before the agency for questioning for the second consecutive day.

On Wednesday, he was accompanied to the ED office by his wife and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

This is the first time Vadra is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged dubious financial dealings.

The businessman appeared before the ED on the directions of a Delhi court after the probe agency, during the hearing of Vadra's anticipatory bail plea, informed it that it had received information about various properties in London that belonged to the son-in-law of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Officials said P Chidambaram was also expected to be questioned in a money-laundering case at the same office on Friday.