After securing a non-bailable warrant from a Mumbai court against controversial liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) seeking initiation of deportation proceedings against him in connection with a money laundering probe in the Rs900-crore IDBI loan fraud case.
The agency has written to the MEA and will also soon request the CBI to get an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued against the Rajya Sabha member to get him arrested, based on the NBW issued by the designated Mumbai court.
last week, the MEA suspended Mallya’s diplomatic passport and sought a reply from him as to why his passport should not be revoked as the ED said he was not cooperating in the probe in the case under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA).
Once the deportation proceedings are initiated, the MEA will seek assistance of their counterparts in the United Kingdom to interdict Mallya and fly him back to India.
“The grounds for deportation are primarily two — pending NBW against him and suspension of his passport,” an official said.
Mallya is reported to be staying in the United Kingdom after he left India on March 2. A Hyderabad court had on Wednesday convicted Mallya in a cheque-bounce case filed against him by GMR Hyderabad International Airport ltd.
With the latest request for deportation, the ED has employed all legal measures in place to bring back Mallya to India and join investigations “in person”, which the agency had stated in a Mumbai court was essential to take the probe forward in the case.
The 60-year-old industrialist has skipped three summons issued by ED in this connection recently.
The ED has registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on an FIR registered by the CBI last year. Apart from investigating the financial structure of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, the ED is also looking into any payment of kickbacks to secure loans from IDBI and probing laundering of funds to overseas destinations by the group.
The agency had alleged that Mallya had siphoned off Rs430 crore of the IDBI loan and used this money to acquire properties abroad.
Meanwhile, liquor Baron Vijay Mallya stepped up his offer to settle his dues with banks by offering an additional Rs2,468 crore in addition to his earlier proposal to pay Rs4,000 crore upfront in meeting the total loan amount of Rs9,000 crore outstanding against his company, the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.
Disclosing this on affidavit filed in Supreme Court, Mallya revealed the list of all properties held by him, his son and wife, both in India and abroad, in a separate sealed cover.
Although the court had sought information of Mallya’s return, the affidavit was silent on this aspect. The court had on April 7 ordered full disclosure of Mallya’s assets after the banks led by State Bank of India had sought the details for a fair and full negotiated settlement of their dues.
In his fresh offer, Mallya proposed to pay Rs1,591 crore upfront by selling his stake in his companies and proposed to generate Rs1,329 crore deposited in various cases pending before Karnataka HC that could be pledged if the apex court so directed.
Mallya claimed privilege over disclosure of assets held by his family — estranged wife, son Sidharth, and his two daughters confidential since they were US citizens and were not amenable to jurisdiction of Indian Supreme Court.