CBI, ED teams in London to pursue Mallya’s extradition
select team of senior officials from the ED and CBI is currently in London where they are holding talks with British prosecutors to extradite beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya. The team is headed by CBI additional director Rakesh Asthana.
Sources privy to Mallya’s case said while the investigating agencies are coordinating with their counterparts in the UK, the liquor baron’s extradition will be also discussed during talks between home secretaries Rajiv Mehrishi and Amber Rudd, who is to visit India later this week.
Sources said the talks, both in London and in Delhi, are part of a two-fold strategy formulated based on the possibility that Mallya might seek a political plea to halt his possible extradition.
The agencies are anticipating that Mallya’s counsel might tell the UK courts that his is a case of political vendetta as he was an MP during the Congress-led regime. Agency officials said Mallya might argue that his case was rather a civil offence and not a criminal one as impressed upon by Indian investigation agencies.
“We are anticipating that a person of Mallya’s stature wil employ all means to avoid extra dition. Both the CBI and ED have been coordinating with each other and with the prosecutors in London since Mallya was arrested last month. Besides , the agencies are briefing authorities at highest level to plug loopholes that can be used by him,” a gov ernment official told HT.
He added, “The home secre tary-level talks will ensure the UK government is on board with Indian authorities. ”