ED sends Letter Rogatory to six countries seeking info on Mallya

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sent judicial requests to governments of six countries, seeking information related to liquor baron Vijay Mallya against whom extradition proceedings are underway in a London court.

Judicial requests, also known as Letter Rogatory (LR), have been sent to the United States, France, South Africa, Ireland, Singapore and Mauritius, sources told Hindustan Times.

Directorate officials said investigators were seeking information on any financial transactions that may have occurred between Mallyaowned now defunct Kingfisher Airlines and banks based out of the six countries. Furthermore, information on Mallya’s investments abroad is also being sought by the ED, sources said.

The latest move comes in the midst of extradition proceedings against Mallya that were initiated by prosecutors in UK in May at the Westminster Magistrates Court in London.

Once called the ‘king of good times’, the liquor baron is facing investigations for alleged financial fraud and money laundering by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In January, the Congress government proposed 100% reservation for locals in blue-collar private sector jobs. Later, it ordered making Kannada mandatory in schools, and the singing of the official state anthem compulsory.

Earlier this month, when the use of Hindi in signboards at metro stations in the city kicked up a row, Siddaramaiah was quick to weigh in on the issue, saying it was a state project and, hence, the Centre’s three-language policy was not applicable.

According to political analyst Narendar Pani, Siddaramaiah’s proactive approach caught the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) napping. “These were essentially issues the BJP used to champion. It is interesting that even the JD(S) kept quiet over the flag controversy,” said Pani, who teaches Siddaramaiah hasn’t backed off from taking on the opposition. At a recent convention of Lingayats, believed to be the BJP’s biggest support base in the state, he assured them he would convey to the Centre their demand to be classified as a separate religion.

By wading into the separate religion demand, Siddaramaiah has also taken the battle to BS Yeddyurappa, the BJP’s chief ministerial face and an influential Lingayat leader.

Yeddyurappa, under whose leadership the BJP formed its first government in south India on its own in Karnataka in 2008, said on Sunday that Lingayats should remain within the Hindu religion.

Siddaramaiah’s decision to form the committee on the state flag also saw Yeddyurappa struggle to respond. Initially, the BJP leader criticised the formation of the committee, but changed stance the next day.