Beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya was arrested in London on Tuesday in connection with a money laundering case filed by India’s Enforcement Directorate. However, he was released on bail on a bond of 60,000 pounds (around Rs 52 lakh) soon after he was taken into custody, according to the Hindustan Times.
In April, too, the 61-year-old was arrested and granted bail within hours. London’s Scotland Yard had taken Mallya in on April 18, in the case of his extradition from the United Kingdom, and released him shortly afterwards. He has been out on bail since then.
He was arrested on Tuesday on fresh charges against him in the money laundering case. These were in addition to the accusation Mallya already faces of fraudulently acquiring loans for his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines and channeling them to his Force India Formula One team, ANI reported.
Mallya is wanted in India for a number of cases, including for defaulting on loans worth Rs 9,000 crores from 17 banks. He has been in the United Kingdom since March 2016, and had earlier said he would not return to the country.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs had submitted an extradition request to the United Kingdom on February 9, after Mallya made his self-imposed exile clear. The request was made on the basis of an Extradition Treaty signed between the countries in 1992.
UK’s Crown Prosecution Service has been arguing the extradition case on behalf of the Indian government. The Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London had scheduled the pre-trial in the case for November 20.
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