Indian liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya to be extradited — CBI ‘hopes to see him soon’

^{(Photo source: IANS)}

• Vijay Mallya, an Indian liquor tycoon and the former boss of Kingfisher Airlines, will be extradited to India by order of a UK court.
  
• The allegations leveled against him include fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy.
  
• He left India in 2016 in the middle of the investigation for the UK, a country where he is also a citizen.
  
• He now has 14 days to file a appeal against the judgement but Central Bureau of Investigation has stated that they ‘hope to see him soon’.

A UK court has approved the extradition of India’s liquor tycoon, Vijay Mallya, to India two years after he left India amid charges of fraud and money laundering.

The former boss of the Kingfisher Airlines has 14 days to make an appeal against the judgement. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has released a statement following the order:

“We hope to bring him soon and conclude the case. CBI has its own inherent strengths. We worked hard on this case. We are strong on law and facts and we were confident while pursuing extradition process.”

The judgement was passed by the Chief Magistrate, Judge Emma Arbuthnot who stated that prima facie (on first impression) there is a case to be made against Mallya for fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.

In recent weeks, Mallya has ‘offered’ to pay back what he owes to Indian banks. The allegations against fraud and money laundering amount to an estimated ₹90 billion. He maintains that these charges against him are ‘politically motivated’ and that he has done nothing wrong.

According to the Economic Times, there is a ‘high-security’ cell kept ready at the Arthur Road prison for Mallya. The same prison housed the 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab.

See also:
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