Vijay Mallya's Rs 600 Crore Superyacht Seized In Malta After He Failed To Pay Rs 6 Crore In Wages To Crew

Before he fled the country facing arrest over loan default, Vijay Mallya had become infamous for not paying salaries to his staff at Kingfisher Airlines, even pushing some of them to suicide.

Even after fleeing India, the disgraced business tycoon's reluctance to pay his employees seems to remain the same.

Mallya who currently lives in London is now accused of not paying the crew of his $93 million superyacht "Indian Empress", the largest private ship in the world.

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According to The Guardian, some 40 crew members have not been paid since September when Mallya ¨C who is fighting extradition from the UK to India ¨C abandoned the vessel.

The amount he owes the staff is said to be around $1 million.

Now acting upon the complaint filed by the crew, authorities in Malta have impounded the 95-95-meter-long luxury yacht in an effort to recover the dues.

The Isle of Man- flagged yacht, which features a 15-seat cinema and Sir Elton John¡¯s baby grand piano, has been impounded in a ¡°maritime lien¡± which gives the crew claim over the vessel to the value of the unpaid wages.

AFP/ File

"Our members onboard gave their employer and the shipowner multiple opportunities to pay monthly wages, displaying a loyalty and restraint greater than many would show in such situations," said strategic organiser of the maritime union Nautilus International Danny McGowan.

McGowan informed that the union has recovered secured $6,15,000 from the vessel's insurers under the International Maritime Labour Convention, but the still a large amount is to be paid.