India is likely to present some additional documents against liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is facing a trial here for a loan default of ₹9,000 crore.
“At least the extradition process has begun. The government will produce some more evidence against Mallya and he will be extradited,” a top official told BusinessLine requesting anonymity.
This came after Mallya got arrested in London by the Scotland Yard. He was subsequently produced in Westminster where he was granted bail.
Mallya left for Britain in March last year after he was questioned by the courts to recover debts owed by him which were given as loans to his Kingfisher Airlines. He has also been booked by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
On February 9, the Ministry of External Affairs handed over a request to the British authorities to extradite him following a non-bailable warrant issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Minister of State of Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar said the government is assessing information and will continue efforts to bring back Mallya.
“We are now assessing the facts on how we can bring him back into the country and start judicial proceedings against him,” he said, adding that what happened on Tuesday is part of the move to recover loans.
Meanwhile, the Congress claimed that relentless campaign by the party has led to temporary detention of Mallya in the UK. Party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said it was strange that Mallya was detained and released in the same go.
“Why did the BJP Government not move for Mallya's deportation instead of extradition? Deportation would have lead to immediate custody to India,” he said and asked the Centre to explain why did the CBI not arrest Mallya and attach his properties at the time of registration of FIR in July 2015 itself preventing his escape.
On May 2016, the UK had told India that Mallya could not be deported to India. It had also said that under its 1971 Immigration Act a British passport was not mandatory for residence in the UK as long as the individual possessed a valid passport at the time of entry.