A trial which had dragged on for over a year, finally reached its logical conclusion when On Monday, the Westminster Magistrates’ Court has ordered the extradition of liquor baron Vijay Mallya. Mallya is wanted in India for an alleged Rs. 9000 crore financial scam. The extradition order by the UK court is open to appeal.
Vijay Mallya had left India in 2016 and is on a self-imposed exile in London. The extradition verdict was ordered by Chief Magistrate Judge Emma Arbuthnot. Judge Arbuthnot, in conclusion, observed that the final decision on the extradition is to be taken by the Home Secretary of State, UK.
A CBI team, led by Joint Director S Sai Manohar, left for London on Sunday to attend the hearing. Two officials of the ED are also accompanying the CBI officer, sources said.
Vijay Mallya had asserted in court that the charges were politically motivated. He had also asserted that he had drawn the loans to keep his now-defunct company afloat and there is no fraud involved.
CBI, which has fought a long, hard battle for the extradition has welcomed the UK court’s decision to extradite Mallya.
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After Christian Michel’s extradition to India, Vijay Mallya had tweeted “I have offered to repay 100 per cent of the principal amount to them. Please take it”. It was seen by many as a sign of nervousness in the liquor baron especially since Michel’s extradition was almost becoming a pipe-dream for India until Ajit Doval led an operation to extradite him.