‘Case to answer’: Business tycoon Vijay Mallya’s extradition allowed by UK court
Westminster Magistrates’ Court Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot ruled that there was no evidence which allowed her to find that if extradited, Mallya was “at real risk of suffering a flagrant denial of justice” or that “the prosecution is politically motivated”.WORLD Updated: Dec 10, 2018 19:21 IST
HT Correspondent
Hindustan Times, London
Indian businessman Vijay Mallya gestures to the media as he takes a break outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. A British judge ruled Monday that Mallya can be extradited to India to face fraud allegations.(AP File Photo)(AP)
A United Kingdom court has allowed the extradition of businessman Vijay Mallya to India to face charges of financial irregularities running into thousands of crores.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot ruled that there was no evidence which allowed her to find that if extradited, Mallya was “at real risk of suffering a flagrant denial of justice” or that “the prosecution is politically motivated”.
“Having considered evidence as a whole. There is a case to answer,” she said as she ruled that the liquor baron could be extradited to India to stand trial on the charges brought by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
“If the conduct occurred in this jurisdiction, the conduct would constitute the offences of making false representations to make a gain for himself, conspiracy to defraud and money laundering,” she added, referring the extradition case to Secretary of State Sajid Javid, who will pass an order based on the verdict.
The defence team has the right to file for a permission to appeal in the Chief Magistrate’s ruling in the UK High Court.
The verdict was welcomed in India. Union finance minister Arun Jaitley called it a “great day” for India.
“Great Day for India. No one who cheats India will go scot free.The Judgement of UK’s Court is welcome. An offender benefited during the UPA. The NDA brings him to book,” he said in a tweet.
“We welcome the decision and hope to bring Dr Vijay Mallya back soon. CBI has its own inherent strengths. We worked hard on this case. CBI was always strong on facts and legally we were confident while pursuing extradition process,” said CBI spokesman Abhishek Dayal. A joint team of the CBI and ED led by CBI joint director A Sai Manohar are in the United Kingdom for the court proceedings.
Before the hearing, Mallya, entering the court, told media that whatever the judgement, his legal team will review it and “take proper steps thereafter”.
“Yes I have tweeted saying that I want to repay, that has nothing to do with this extradition issue. It’s a completely separate matter,” he said
Mallya also said that he has not stolen anyone’s money and his offer to pay back the loan amount of banks is not a bogus one.
The 62-year-old former boss of Kingfisher Airlines has been on bail since his arrest on an extradition warrant in April last year. He has contested that the extradition case against him is “politically motivated” and the loans he has been accused of defrauding on were sought to keep his now-defunct airline afloat.
“I did not borrow a single rupee. The borrower was Kingfisher Airlines. Money was lost due to a genuine and sad business failure. Being held as guarantor is not fraud,” he said in a post on Twitter recently.
“I have offered to repay 100 per cent of the principal amount to them. Please take it,” the flamboyant businessman tweeted earlier.
First Published: Dec 10, 2018 19:12 IST
Westminster Magistrates’ Court Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot ruled that there was no evidence which allowed her to find that if extradited, Mallya was “at real risk of suffering a flagrant denial of justice” or that “the prosecution is politically motivated”.WORLD Updated: Dec 10, 2018 19:21 IST
HT Correspondent
Hindustan Times, London
Indian businessman Vijay Mallya gestures to the media as he takes a break outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. A British judge ruled Monday that Mallya can be extradited to India to face fraud allegations.(AP File Photo)(AP)
A United Kingdom court has allowed the extradition of businessman Vijay Mallya to India to face charges of financial irregularities running into thousands of crores.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot ruled that there was no evidence which allowed her to find that if extradited, Mallya was “at real risk of suffering a flagrant denial of justice” or that “the prosecution is politically motivated”.
“Having considered evidence as a whole. There is a case to answer,” she said as she ruled that the liquor baron could be extradited to India to stand trial on the charges brought by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
“If the conduct occurred in this jurisdiction, the conduct would constitute the offences of making false representations to make a gain for himself, conspiracy to defraud and money laundering,” she added, referring the extradition case to Secretary of State Sajid Javid, who will pass an order based on the verdict.
The defence team has the right to file for a permission to appeal in the Chief Magistrate’s ruling in the UK High Court.
The verdict was welcomed in India. Union finance minister Arun Jaitley called it a “great day” for India.
“Great Day for India. No one who cheats India will go scot free.The Judgement of UK’s Court is welcome. An offender benefited during the UPA. The NDA brings him to book,” he said in a tweet.
“We welcome the decision and hope to bring Dr Vijay Mallya back soon. CBI has its own inherent strengths. We worked hard on this case. CBI was always strong on facts and legally we were confident while pursuing extradition process,” said CBI spokesman Abhishek Dayal. A joint team of the CBI and ED led by CBI joint director A Sai Manohar are in the United Kingdom for the court proceedings.
Before the hearing, Mallya, entering the court, told media that whatever the judgement, his legal team will review it and “take proper steps thereafter”.
“Yes I have tweeted saying that I want to repay, that has nothing to do with this extradition issue. It’s a completely separate matter,” he said
Mallya also said that he has not stolen anyone’s money and his offer to pay back the loan amount of banks is not a bogus one.
The 62-year-old former boss of Kingfisher Airlines has been on bail since his arrest on an extradition warrant in April last year. He has contested that the extradition case against him is “politically motivated” and the loans he has been accused of defrauding on were sought to keep his now-defunct airline afloat.
“I did not borrow a single rupee. The borrower was Kingfisher Airlines. Money was lost due to a genuine and sad business failure. Being held as guarantor is not fraud,” he said in a post on Twitter recently.
“I have offered to repay 100 per cent of the principal amount to them. Please take it,” the flamboyant businessman tweeted earlier.
First Published: Dec 10, 2018 19:12 IST
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