Mr Kapoor revealed that a close confidante of Sonia Gandhi had told him that by supporting the Gandhi family at a opportune time, he would be duly considered for the Padma Bhushan award
Mr Kapoor revealed that a close confidante of Sonia Gandhi had told him that by supporting the Gandhi family at a opportune time, he would be duly considered for the Padma Bhushan award
Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor has told the Enforcement Directorate that he was “forced” to buy a painting by MF Husain by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Congress and the proceeds of the sale from the Gandhi family to use for the medical treatment of Congress President Sonia Gandhi was used in New York, according to the indictment filed by the federal anti-money laundering agency with a special court in Mumbai.
Mr Kapoor also told the ED that he was told by then-Petroleum Minister Murli Deora that refusing to buy the MF Husain painting would not only prevent him from developing a relationship with the Gandhi family, but would also prevent him from to get the ‘Padma Bhushan ‘ award.
Rana Kapoor’s testimonies form part of the second additional indictment (third overall) recently filed in Special Court here against Yes Bank co-founder, his family, promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan of Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) and others case of money laundering.
Kapoor stated that he paid a check for 2 crore and claimed that “Milind Deora (son of the late Murli Deora and former Congressman) later informed him in confidence that the proceeds of the sale were used by the Gandhi family towards the medical treatment of Sonja Gandhi.” in New York”.
Mr. Kapoor also told the ED that Ahmed Patel, a close associate of Sonia Gandhi, told him that by supporting the Gandhi family, I (Mr. Kapoor) did a good deed for them at an opportune time for Sonia Gandhi’s medical treatment family and it would be duly considered for the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award.
The late Deora had told Mr Kapoor over dinner that failure to purchase the painting could have “adverse effects” on him and Yes Bank, Kapoor has claimed in his statement to the ED.
The banker is currently in custody following his arrest in the case in March 2020.
“First, I would like to state that this was a forced sale that I was never ready for,” the indictment said of the painting Kapoor allegedly bought from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Milind Deora had made several visits to his (Rana Kapoor’s) home and office to persuade him to buy a painting by MF Husain by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
“He had even made several calls and messages to me from multiple cell phones regarding this. In fact, I was very reluctant to go into this deal and I had also tried several times to avoid this deal by ignoring his calls/messages and face-to-face meetings,” Mr Kapoor told the ED, according to the indictment.
“Despite my best efforts to avoid this deal, they were exceptionally persistent in trying to close the deal quickly,” Kapoor claimed.
He further explained that later, in 2010, Murli Deora forced him to meet him for a vegetarian dinner (Marwari dinner) at his Lodhi Estate Bungalow in New Delhi.
He was Minister of Petroleum at the time and had been assigned this bungalow in that capacity, Mr Kapoor said, according to the indictment.
“During the meeting, the late Murli Deora told me in no uncertain terms that any further delay in purchasing the above painting could have an adverse effect on me and my Yes Bank and jeopardize my relationship with the Deora family,” Mr. Kapor said.
“At the same time, he had tried to convince me that I would also not be allowed to ever have a relationship with the Gandhi family,” the banker added.
Further, Mr. Kapoor claimed in the statement: “He (Murli Deora) had also told me that any deviation on my part in not completing the deal would definitely prevent me from receiving the ‘Padma Bhushan’ for which, in his opinion, I have.” well deserved at the time”.
“Under this threat, and against the wishes of my family, as we are not quality art collectors, I could not afford to engage in any form of enmity with the two powerful families involved, and therefore I had to proceed hesitantly in the face of the looming and overhanging threat” , Kapoor told ED, according to the indictment.
Mr. Kapoor informed the ED that the formalities for closing the deal would be held at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s office.
“Milind Deora actively coordinated this final closing meeting. I would like to point out that I made a payment of ₹2 crore for this deal by check to my personal account with HSBC Bank,” he added.
Mr. Kapoor said a few weeks after the deal that Milind Deora had confidentially informed him that the proceeds from the sale were being used by the Gandhi family to help Sonia Gandhi receive medical treatment in New York.
“After a few months, when I (Kapoor) visited the home of (later) Ahmed Patel, a close confidant of Sonia Gandhi, I was independently informed by him that I had come to the Gandhi family at an opportune time for medical treatment by Sonia Gandhi I had done a good deed for the family and I would be duly considered as ‘Padma Bhushan’,” the indictment said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Rana Kapoor and Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan siphoned off 5,050 crore through suspicious transactions.
The ED began its investigation according to ECIR’s recording on March 3, 2020, and after the investigation began, Rana Kapoor aggressively attempted to sell his overseas properties to save them from attachment by the ED under the PMLA, it said in the indictment.
The POC involved in this case is ₹5,050 crore. While Rana Kapoor is the founder of the said company called DUVPL, his three daughters are 100 percent shareholders.
Rana Kapoor is currently in custody following his arrest in the case in March 2020. The Wadhwans are also being held in another case following their arrest.
