New Delhi: The extradition of fugitive industrialist Vijay Mallya from the United Kingdom will take time as legal issues need to be resolved, the British High Commission in New Delhi has said.
Mallya, who has been convicted of fraud and money laundering charges in connection with loans of over Rs 9,000 crore from Indian banks, lost his appeal against extradition last month and was refused leave to appeal further to the UK Supreme Court.
“There is a further legal issue that needs resolving before Mr Mallya’s extradition can be arranged. Under United Kingdom law, extradition cannot take place until it is resolved. The issue is confidential and we cannot go into any detail,” a British High Commission spokesperson told ThePrint.
The spokesperson also said it “cannot be estimated how long this issue will take to resolve”. “We are seeking to deal with this as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson added.
The statement comes in light of media reports that Mallya will soon be brought back to India by officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), the two agencies leading the investigation against him, and lodged at Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail.
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Appeal dismissed
Mallya, a two-term former member of Parliament, was given 14 days from 20 April to file an application for permission to move a higher court against the high court judgment. However, his appeal was dismissed.
On 14 May, just as the Modi government announced the Rs 20 lakh crore lockdown relief package, Mallya had reiterated his offer to pay back the dues he owes banks.
Congratulations to the Government for a Covid 19 relief package. They can print as much currency as they want BUT should a small contributor like me who offers 100% payback of State owned Bank loans be constantly ignored ? Please take my money unconditionally and close.
— Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) May 14, 2020
Last month, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said that India is in touch with the British authorities over Mallya’s extradition. Since he has exhausted all his legal options in escaping the extradition, the government is looking at the “next steps in the extradition process”, Srivastava had said.
Also Read: How CBI convinced UK High Court that Vijay Mallya needs to be extradited to India
First Vijay Mallya should be allowed to repay his dues in full as he agreed to do so. The confidential legal issue at UK can take its course. On his return Vijay Mallya be allowed to sort out and clear all issues without being jailed or allow him bail to settle things. What is the purpose and use of extradiction and jail? Why to clip his wings?