India on Monday expressed "deep satisfaction" over the judgement of a UK court which ordered Vijay Mallya's extradition after concluding that the "flashy billionaire" does have a case to answer in the Indian courts over substantial "misrepresentations" of his financial dealings.
India on Monday expressed "deep satisfaction" over the judgement of a UK court which ordered Vijay Mallya's extradition after concluding that the "flashy billionaire" does have a case to answer in the Indian courts over substantial "misrepresentations" of his financial dealings.
Chief Magistrate of the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, Judge Emma Arbuthnot ordered Mallya's extradition, in a major boost to India's efforts to bring back the 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss wanted for alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to an estimated Rs 9,000 crores.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India will continue to work with the British government for "expeditious" implementation of the court order.
"We express our deep satisfaction at the judgement and note that justice has been delivered today. We thank the UK authorities for their help in this matter," Kumar said.
"We will continue to work with the UK Government for expeditious implementation of today's court order and early extradition of Mallya to India," he added.
Delivering the verdict at Westminster Magistrates' Court, Judge Arbuthnot said there is a prima facie case against Mallya and that she is satisfied that his human rights would not be infringed in Barrack 12 of Arthur Road Jail in
Mumbai, where he is to be held on being extradited.
The court accepted the Indian government's contention that because Mallya has such a "high profile", his trial in India will be under great scrutiny and he will be able to raise with the court any overly prejudicial publicity.
Addressing the jail conditions, the judge expressed her satisfaction with the evidence provided by the Indian government, describing the video of Barrack 12 at Arthur Road Jail as an accurate portrayal of the conditions which will apply to Mallya. However, the court made a specific reference to special medical conditions being made available to the businessman, who is described as "far from healthy".
The court also dismissed the defence's attempts to dispute Indian prison conditions as a bar to his extradition on human rights grounds, saying the video of the Barrack 12 of Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail, where Mallya would be held, "gives accurate portrayal and has been recently redecorated".
1. Out on bail
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The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss has been on bail since his arrest on an extradition warrant in April last year.
2. Politically motivated?
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He has contested his extradition on the grounds that the case against him is "politically motivated" and the loans he has been accused of defrauding on were sought to keep his now-defunct airline afloat.
Source: Reuters
3. Didn't borrow a single rupee
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"I did not borrow a single rupee. The borrower was Kingfisher Airlines. Money was lost due to a genuine and sad business failure. Being held as guarantor is not fraud," he said in his recent Twitter post on the issue.
Source: Reuters
4. Offered to repay 100%
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"I have offered to repay 100 per cent of the principal amount to them. Please take it," the flamboyant businessman tweeted earlier.
While dismissing that his intervention has anything to do with the extradition case, it came just days before Judge Emma Arbuthnot is expected to present her ruling in the case.
The trial, which opened at the Magistrates' Court on December 4 last year, has gone through a series of hearings beyond the initial seven days earmarked for it.
It opened with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) team, led by Mark Summers, laying out the Indian government's prima facie case of fraud and money laundering against Mallya.
5. CBI reaction
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CBI spokesperson on Vijay Mallya to be extradited to India: 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
6. Former Kingfisher employee on Mallya extradition
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Neetu Sharma, former Kingfisher employee on UK court ordering Vijay Mallya's extradition: It sets things in motion, he has got charges like siphoning & diverting funds. It is not just a case of repayment of money it also involves a lot of criminal deeds. He should face the music.
Neetu Sharma, former Kingfisher employee on UK court ordering Vijay Mallya's extradition: It sets things in motion, he has got charges like siphoning & diverting funds. It is not just a case of repayment of money it also involves a lot of criminal deeds. He should face the music. pic.twitter.com/LsJIGOcQ1V
— ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2018
7. BJP IT Cell Head Amit Malviya
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BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a man of his word! #ModiGetsMallya
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 10, 2018
8. Arun Jaitley
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Hailing the UK court order on Vijay Mallya's extradition, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Monday said the offender who benefited during the UPA rule is being brought to the book by the NDA government. A UK court has ordered Mallya's extradition, in a major boost to India's efforts to bring back the fugitive wanted for loan default worth Rs 9,000 crore.
9. India Inc
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India Inc Monday said the UK Court's order on Vijay Mallya's extradition reflects the Modi government's resolve, observing that the law will take its own course on the matter and deliver justice. "It does reinforce the government's resolve. Mallya has also said he is willing to pay back the loan. However, he should have said he is willing to pay back the dues to the (former) employees," PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Rajeev Talwar told PTI.
In a major setback to Vijay Mallya, a UK court on Monday ordered his extradition to India, where he is wanted for alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to an estimated Rs 9,000 crore. Stressing that it would not like to comment on a particular individual, CII said the UK Court's order is a big signal that India has a very credible position globally and the actions of the Narendra Modi government are being perceived as very decisive, proactive and credible by the world. "The law will take its own course there will be appropriate action and justice. Anyone who is bound to be shortchanged anywhere should not tolerate it and non compliance should always be dealt with by law," CII said.
10. Will take months
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"Mallya is not likely to be extradited to India for months. Following the extradition judgment today, Mallya now has 14 days to appeal, during which period he wouldn't be arrested, but would remain on bail," Zaiwalla said. Sarosh Zaiwalla is Founder & Senior Partner at UK-based law firm Zaiwalla & Co.
