Countering charges of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the CBI on Saturday defended itself by saying that there was no question of foul-play on its part in enabling liquor baron Vijay Mallya to flee the country. The CBI also clarified that at the time when the decision to downgrade the lookout circular against Mallya was taken, there were not sufficient grounds for it to detain and arrest him.
"Decision was taken at the appropriate level as a part of process and not individually by the officer as alleged," the CBI said. The agency has been under scrutiny after reported emerged that it had changed a 2015 Look Out Circular against liquor baron Vijay Mallya from 'detain' to 'inform about movement.
The clarifications come at a time when the Congress has upped the attack on the government and on the CBI for 'allowing' economic offenders like Mallya and jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi to flee the country. Party president Rahul Gandhi even said that a Gujarat-cadre officer with CBI had let the three escape.
Earlier, the CBI had clarified that the change in the Look Out Notice against Vijay Mallya from detain to merely inform was an "error" since he was cooperating and there was no warrant against him.
While Mallya is accused of owing nearly Rs 9,000 crore to Indian banks, Nirav and Choksi too have been charged with defrauding Punjab National Bank of thousands of crores.
"CBI received a complaint against Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi from PNB almost a month after they had left the country. Therefore the question of any CBI officer having any hand in their fleeing the country does not arise," the agency said.