India to ask UK to deport Mallya in ED case
DHNS
Liquor baron’s lawyers respond to MEA notice
New Delhi, 23 April 2016: India is set to ask the United Kingdom to deport business tycoon and parliamentarian Vijay Mallya, who is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged money laundering.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is consulting legal experts, as it prepares to act on the request of the Enforcement Directorate to ask the UK to deport Mallya.
“We are consulting legal experts,” Vikas Swarup, official spokesperson of the MEA, said on Friday.
He said that Mallya’s lawyers had responded to the notice issued by the MEA. Swarup added that the response of the business tycoon was now being examined by the ministry.
New Delhi is of the view that getting Mallya deported from the UK might not be difficult because a court had issued a warrant against the liquor baron and his passport has also been suspended.
The ED informed the ministry that a special court in Mumbai had issued a non-bailable warrant against Mallya under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED requested for initiation of the procedure for seeking his deportation from the UK.
Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines defaulted on loans of over Rs 9,400 crores.
He left the country on March 2, the day a consortium of 13 banks, which had lent him money, moved the Debt Recovery Tribunal to step up pressure on him to return the money.
The MEA has already suspended the passport issued to Mallya after being advised to do so by the ED.
Request to MEA
The ED requested the MEA to suspend the passport of Mallya, as he had refused to appear before the agency despite being summoned by it thrice between March 10 and April 2.
The ED has declined pleas by Mallya’s lawyers seeking more time for him to return from the UK and appear before the agency.