A court in London will begin hearing India’s request to extradite beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya on Monday. Representatives of India’s Central Bureau of Investigation will attend the hearing, which is scheduled to go on for eight days.
Mallya last appeared at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 20, reiterating that the allegations levelled against him by the Indian government were “baseless and fabricated”. He is currently out on bail, and his bail conditions will remain in place till the trial begins, the magistrate had said.
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.
On October 3, the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service, which is arguing the case on behalf of Indian authorities, had presented supplementary charges of money laundering against Mallya. These added to the accusations the businessman already faces of fraudulently acquiring loans for his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines and channeling them to his Force India Formula One team.
Mallya is wanted in India for a number of cases, including for defaulting on loans worth Rs 9,000 crore from 17 banks. The businessman, who has been in the UK since March 2016, had said he would not return to the country.
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