Mallya shot in the arm for Modi govt on Urjit quit day
London, Dec 10 (IBNS): On a day the country's central bank governor resigned in a jolt to the BJP-led NDA government, the Modi regime in India received a shot in the arm ahead of the 2019 general elections with an UK court deciding that fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya would be extradited to India to face investigation in banking fraud cases.
The Modi government received a lot of flak on Monday owing to Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel's resignation citing "personal reasons". The Opposition blamed the government for the situation. However, the setback was offset by the news that broke from London. The Narendra Modi government which came to power to provide a corruption-free administration has a reason to celebrate with Mallya's news coming in from the UK.
This comes days after the extradition of Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,200 crore AgustaWestland chopper deal from the UAE. A CBI court on Monday sent Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, to the custody of the probe agency for five more days.
Reacting to the UK court's decision on Mallya, India's finance minister Arun Jaitley tweeted: "Great Day for India. No one who cheats India will go scot free. The Judgement of UK’s Court is welcome. An offender benefited during the UPA. The NDA brings him to book."
Great Day for India. No one who cheats India will go scot free.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) December 10, 2018
The Judgement of UK’s Court is welcome. An offender benefited during the UPA. The NDA brings him to book.
"Vijay Mallya's extradition is a very significant development in India's fight against corruption. The credit for this goes entirely to Prime Minister @narendramodi, who ensured that the agencies were unrelenting in their pursuit of the man who had bled Indian banks and fled," BJP president Amit Shah tweeted.
Vijay Mallya's extradition is a very significant development in India's fight against corruption. The credit for this goes entirely to Prime Minister @narendramodi, who ensured that the agencies were unrelenting in their pursuit of the man who had bled Indian banks and fled.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 10, 2018
“We welcome the decision and hope to bring Dr Vijay Mallya back soon. CBI has its own inherent strengths. We worked hard on this case. CBI was always strong on facts and legally we were confident while pursuing extradition process,” Hindustan Times quoted CBI spokesman Abhishek Dayal as saying. A joint team of the CBI and ED is in the UK for the court proceedings.
A court in London on Monday decided liquor baron Vijay Mallya would be extradited to India to face investigations into fraud cases against him with the verdict coming as a big victory for the Modi government now facing strong political challenges ahead of crucial elections.
Mallya, the owner of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines who now lives in the UK, fled India in March 2016. He owes around Rs. 9,000 crore to banks and faces trial on different counts ranging from defaulting of loans and money syphoning.
Delivering the verdict, Chief Magistrate Judge Emma Arbuthnot of Westminster Magistrates' Court said "there is, prima facie, a case against Vijay Mallya for fraud, conspiracy and money laundering."
Mallya on Monday said his settlement offer and his extradition have no links as both are separate issues.
After the judgement India's federal investigating agency CBI's spokesperson said: "We hope to bring him soon.".
Journalists present in the court said Mallya was visibly tense inside the courtroom. The judge came down hard on Mallya saying that he used his flashy lifestyle and PR skills to defraud the banks in India, said a journalist present in the court room.
On his way to the court, Mallya had told reporters: "Whatever the judgment, my legal team will review the judgment and take proper steps thereafter. Yes I have tweeted saying that I want to repay, that has nothing to do with this extradition issue. It's a completely separate matter."
Speaking on his settlement offer, he said: "There is nothing genuine or ingenuine. Please understand that the offer has been made in a court of law. Nobody disrespects a court of law."
In a tweet last Thursday, Mallya also rejected any link between his proposal to repay the debt and AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel's extradition.
He said: "Respectfully to all commentators, I cannot understand how my extradition decision or the recent extradition from Dubai and my settlement offer are linked in any way. Wherever I am physically,my appeal is 'Please take the money'. I want to stop the narrative that I stole money"
On Nov 22, Bombay High Court dismissed a plea filed by Mallya seeking a stay on the Enforcement Directorate's request to declare him a fugitive economic offender and confiscate his properties.
The Enforcement Directorate wants Mallya to be tagged a "fugitive" under the Fugitive Economic Offenders’ Act, 2018.
Once someone is named a fugitive economic offender, the prosecuting agency has the powers to confiscate properties of the accused.
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