A United Kingdom court on has rejected fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya’s written plea against his extradition to India. “The application for permission to appeal was refused by Mr Justice William Davis on 05/04/2019,” a spokesperson for the UK judiciary said on Monday, PTI reported.
The UK signed an order to extradite him on February 4. Mallya is currently on bail on an extradition warrant. Mallya, who owes Indian banks over Rs 9,000 crore, fled to the United Kingdom in 2016.
According to a report in The Hindu, Mallya can make a renewal application for an oral hearing against the extradition order before a court. The application has to be made within five days of the order, the spokesperson for the judiciary said. “If a renewal application is made, it will be listed before a High Court judge and dealt with at a hearing,” the spokesperson added.
If the court holds an oral hearing on the renewal plea, Mallya’s lawyer and the Crown Prosecution Service, representing the Indian government, will renew their claims for and against an appeal for a judge to determine if it can proceed to a full hearing.
Last week, Mallya’s lawyers had told the State Bank of India, one of the lenders he owes money to, that the businessman was willing to cut his spending to £29,500 a month, Bloomberg had reported. He is currently spending nearly £18,300 a week.
On January 5, a special court in Mumbai declared Mallya a fugitive economic offender. He was the first person to get the tag after the Parliament passed the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act last year to allow the seizure of domestic assets of such individuals.
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