The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday urged a Delhi court to revoke the earlier order which granted permanent exemption from personal appearance to Vijay Mallya in a case for allegedly evading summons issued by the agency in connection with purported violation of foreign exchange rules.
ED’s prosecutor NK Matta told Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass that he will file an appropriate application within a week. The court posted the matter for further hearing on May 20.
The prosecutor in his submission said the court should recall its December 2000 order by which Mallya was granted permanent exemption from personal appearance as a PMlA court in Mumbai has recently issued an open-ended warrant against Mallya, chairman of now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines in connection with a money laundering case.
Matta added that the exemption order was passed by the court and as of now Mallya is abroad and in such situation, he will file an application seeking cancellation of exemption granted to Mallya.
Senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, who appeared for Mallya, said his client was earlier granted exemption from personal appearance on December 20, 2000 and he be exempted for Wednesday.
In the present case, the ED had alleged that Mallya had violated the provisions of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) in arranging funds to advertise his company’s liquor products abroad.
ED had claimed that Mallya was summoned on four occasions for questioning in connection with a contract signed in December 1995 with london-based firm Benetton Formula ltd for promotion of the Kingfisher brand abroad.
When Mallya failed to appear before ED in response to the summons, a complaint was filed on March 8, 2000 before a court here and later on charge was framed against him under Section 56 of FERA.