PMLA case: Court grants bail to Thampi

Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar observed that the main accused, Vadra, was already granted anticipatory bail in the case in April last year and Thampi was entitled to be treated on “parity”.

CC Thampi, Robert Vadra, Robert Vadra money laundering, arms deal, Sanjay Bhandari, Indian Express

The bail came a day after the court refused ED to keep Thampi under further custody while sending him to judicial custody till February 8. (Photo: Twitter)

A special court in Delhi on Wednesday granted bail to C C Thampi, a close aide of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law and businessman Robert Vadra who was arrested in connection with the Enforcement Directorate’s probe into the latter’s alleged role in a money laundering case.

Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar observed that the main accused, Vadra, was already granted anticipatory bail in the case in April last year and Thampi was entitled to be treated on “parity”. It also noted that co-accused Manoj Arora, who allegedly played an active role along with Vadra in the offence of money laundering, was also granted anticipatory bail in April last year.

Observing that his conduct “does not show that he avoided probe or tried to flee from justice”, the judge granted bail on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh with two sureties. It imposed certain conditions, directing Thampi “not to try to contact or influence any witness” or tamper with evidence. He was directed to join the investigation as and when called by the ED and shall not leave the country without the court’s prior permission.

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The court noted that he was a non-resident Indian residing in Dubai since 1980, is in the hospitality business and that he had joined investigation in response to summon issued to him.

The bail came a day after the court refused the ED’s plea seeking further custody of Thampi and sent him to judicial custody till February 8.

Arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari is also being investigated by the probe agency in the case.

Thampi is alleged to have helped Vadra invest in real estate assets in London, including the 12 Bryanston Square property in London which the agency had earlier alleged was acquired by Bhandari for Vadra. It was the receipt of foreign banking transactions from several countries that led Thampi’s arrest, with the ED claiming that they now had evidence to link him to money laundering and property acquisition deals with Vadra and Bhandari.

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