Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (SR)
New Delhi, Apr 9: The UK High Court has rejected Vijay Mallya’s written application to appeal against his extradition as a step closer towards bringing the 63-year-old former billionaire and renegade liquor baron back to India. Vijay Mallya had appealed against the decision of UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid to extradite him to India and that was rejected on April 5. He is facing charges of fraud, money laundering and violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Now he has only five business days to apply for an oral hearing. He will be extradited if the judge decides his case is not arguable. The only other option left for him is to move to the European Court of Human rights.
Mallya is accused of defaulting on loans worth more than Rs 11,000 crore from a consortium of state-owned Indian banks. The founder of Kingfisher Airlines is also accused of money laundering and other financial indiscretions after the collapse of the Airlines in 2012.
On December 9, the Westminster Magistrate’s Court had ordered Mallya’s extradition to stand trial on charges brought by the CBI and ED.
The UK’s senior-most Pakistani-origin minister Javid had to make a decision within two months of the day the case was sent. The UK Home Office confirmed in February that the minister had signed Mallya’s extradition order.
According to TOI report, a member of staff at the high court said “He has been sent a form and he can now apply for an oral hearing. He has five business days to do that. We would expect to list the hearing within three to eight weeks after we receive the form.”
Mallya’s solicitor Anand Doobay said, “We are not commenting at the moment and Mallya also said he did not wish to comment.”