Investigating agencies doing best to bring back Mallya: Jaitley
NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said investigative agencies are doing their best to ensure extradition of controversial businessman Vijay Mallya, who was arrested in London yesterday and later released on bail.
“I think the government and all the investigating agencies are certainly putting (in) their best efforts because the agencies do believe that an offence has been committed for which the person (Mallya) is required in India,” the minister told reporters here.
The minister further said Mallya's extradition is part of the “judicial process” in the UK. “It's part of the judicial process in that country and the judicial process functions on certain considerations,” he said in response to queries regarding Mallya's extradition. Mallya, who has been declared a proclaimed offender by Indian courts, was arrested in London by the Scotland Yard yesterday on India's request for his extradition on fraud charges.
He was, however, released on bail a few hours later on a bail bond worth 6,50,000 pound. He is required to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 17.
The 61-year-old liquor baron has to face charges in Indian courts in connection with loan default cases.
Mallya, whose now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes more than Rs 9,000 crore to various banks, had left India on March 2, 2016.
The Indian government has since revoked his Indian passport, but he has repeatedly dismissed all charges against him.
In January, an Indian court ordered a consortium of lenders to start the process of recovering the loans.
India had placed a formal extradition request for Mallya as per the Extradition Treaty between India and the UK through a note verbale on February 8.
Earlier in January this year, a CBI court had issued a nonbailable warrant against Mallya in the Rs 720-crore IDBI Bank loan default case. He is the owner of a Formula One team. NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday indicated that he would take up the visa issue with the US authorities during his visit to America.
"These (IT industry issues) are matters of discussion with the appropriate authorities there. Once I do discuss and get an opportunity, I will let you know," he told reporters when asked whether he would take up the concerns of the Indian IT sector with the US administration. The Indian IT industry has expressed serious concerns over the US government moving towards tightening the rules for grant of H-1B visa, mainly used by domestic IT professionals for shortterm work.
Jaitley is leaving on Wednesday night on a fiveday visit to the United States to attend the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and IMF as well as deliberations of G20 nations.