The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against fugitive and alleged arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari who is under investigation for several offences, including the Official Secrets Act, in matters of sensitive defence documents.
Officials familiar with the development said it was filed on Monday and detailed how he invested his proceeds from the crime. They said this was the first charge sheet against Bhandari, who had fled to the UK. It sought a non-bailable warrant after filing a charge sheet to enable it to send an extradition request against Bhandari.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is also probing Bhandari in a Rs 2,895 crore-deal for 75 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force in 2009. An Interpol red notice is pending against him. The investigation was launched against him when the Income Tax department raided his house in 2016 and found documents pertaining to several properties, apart from several defence documents.
Bhandari is also under investigation for allegedly laundering money for properties allegedly linked to Robert Vadra in London, in which NRI businessman CC Thampi was arrested by ED in January this year.
{{/usCountry}}Bhandari is also under investigation for allegedly laundering money for properties allegedly linked to Robert Vadra in London, in which NRI businessman CC Thampi was arrested by ED in January this year.
{{/usCountry}}Vadra, who was questioned by the ED in May last year, has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him. “Witch-hunt continues for almost a decade,” he told HT last year.