Pre-arrest bail for Vadra in Haryana land deal-linked laundering probe

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court granted Saturday pre-arrest bail to businessman Robert Vadra in a money laundering case tied to a land deal in Haryana, ruling that his “detention in judicial custody is neither necessary nor warranted” after ED chose not to arrest him during its investigation. Special judge Sushant Changotra of Rouse Avenue Courts also granted relief to co-accused Kewal Singh Virk on a surety bond of Rs 50,000 each.The case relates to a 3.5-acre parcel in Shikohpur village in Gurgaon. According to ED, a company linked to Vadra bought the land from Omkareshwar Properties in Feb 2008 for Rs 7.5 crore and later sold it to DLF for Rs 58 crore. ED claims the transaction generated proceeds of crime and formed part of a larger alleged money laundering operation stemming from a 2018 FIR over purported irregularities in the deal.The court said that Vadra had cooperated with investigators and appeared whenever he was summoned, making detention in custody unnecessary. It held that the accused could face ordinary trial proceedings without being sent to judicial custody.— Koushiki Saha