An Income-Tax department team on Monday recorded the statement of Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Vadra, in an alleged benami properties case.
The I-T officials reached Mr. Vadra’s residence around 10 a.m. and left after about nine hours. Mr. Vadra later told the reporters that the issue was neither related to tax evasion nor any ‘benami’ property.
Terming it a political vendetta, he also said it was an attempt to divert the attention from real issues like the ongoing farmers’ protest. He also suggested that he was targeted because Ms. Vadra was trying to help the farmers.
He said he would cooperate with any agency and answer all their queries. “I have nothing to hide...truth will prevail.”
Earlier, an I-T official said: “We had sought his presence for recording his statement under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act. However, owing to the pandemic, a team went to his residence to facilitate the process.”
Clarifying that it was not a search or survey operation, the official said the team was at Mr. Vadra’s Delhi residence only to record his statement in connection with an inquiry under the Benami Act.
February 2019 onwards, the Enforcement Directorate had been recording Mr. Vadra’s statement multiple times, with respect to a money-laundering investigation into some properties located in the U.K.
Denying any link, Mr. Vadra had then termed the charges a political witch-hunt against him.
