Now that the Indian authorities have requested the UK to
begin the extradition process of liquor-baron
Vijay Mallya, they have now turned their focus on
Jatin Mehta, who could be dubbed as a low-profile
Vijay Mallya.
The
Enforcement Directorate (
ED) has reportedly asked
Dubai to speed up its response to India's letters rogatory sent last year, requesting information about Mehta's
Winsome Group, owing
Rs 6,800 crore to 15 Indian banks.
Winsome Diamonds and Jewellery, a listed company, and group firm Forever is India’s second-largest loan defaulter after
Kingfisher Airlines.
The information that UAE shared with India's
Financial Intelligence Unit, which handles inputs on suspect financial transactions, was informal and not very significant.
"We would like Dubai to officially respond to LR. Due to the nature of Winsome transactions and lenders' allegations, we need Dubai's cooperation to make any progress. It won't be easy as
Jatin Mehta has taken citizenship of St Kitts, which has no extradition treaty with India," a person in the know told
ET.
The ED and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) need help from the UAE to verify Winsome’s claim that the group is unable to repay Indian banks.
While Indian agencies have a portion of Mallya’s assets and are trying to auction them to recover their amount, Winsome and Mehta don’t have such assets associated with banks, further posing problem with the authorities who have no means left to recover their money.
(Image source GemKonnect)