Vijay Mallya All Set To Be Extradited To India After UK Court Rejects His Appeal

Former liquor baron Vijay Mallya is all set to be extradited to India from the United Kingdom after he lost his appeal in the High Court. The 64-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss had appealed to the High Court against his extradition to India at a hearing in February this year.

Lord Justice Stephen Irwin and Justice Elisabeth Laing, the two-member bench at the Royal Courts of Justice in London presiding over the appeal, dismissed the appeal in a judgment handed down remotely due to the current coronavirus lockdown. The judges in London rejected the appeal saying that there "was a prima facie case of fraud by false representation".

AFP

"We consider that while the scope of the prima facie case found by the SDJ [Senior District Judge] is in some respects wider than that alleged by the Respondent in India [Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED)], there is a prima facie case which, in seven important respects, coincides with the allegations in India," the judges ruled.

The case will now go to home secretary Priti Patel for a final decision on his extradition.

Mallya is wanted in India on alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to an estimated Rs 9,000 crore. The flamboyant businessman who was once known as the 'king of good times' had a business empire ranging from liquor to IPL, F1 and aviation.

AFP

His troubles started with the launch of his private airline Kingfisher in 2005. Despite him having no prior experience in the field Mallya made an aggressive push, which also involved the buying out of former rival Air Deccan. In its glory days, Kingfisher Airline was one of the largest in India, both in terms of fleet and passengers. But financial troubles soon caught up with Kingfisher and Mallya and by mid-2012 the entire fleet was grounded.

Mallya who was also a two-term Rajya Sabha MP fled India in March 2016 after he was issued a non-bailable arrest warrant. The 64-year-old who has been living in London ever since has been mounting legal challenges after legal challenges to avoid getting extradited to India in the fraud case.

AFP

Mallya had also tried to reach on a settlement with the banks on the loans and had offered to pay back the principal amount that he had borrowed. This, however, was rejected by the banks who are struggling to recover their money which is way higher than the assets of Mallya which have been seized.