A London court has given its nod to extradite fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya to India. The disgraced liquor baron and former boss of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines is wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering that amount to Rs 9,000 crore ( $1.25 billion).
“We hope to bring him soon and conclude the case. CBI has its own inherent strengths. We worked hard on this case. We are strong on Law and facts and we were confident while pursuing extradition process,” said CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) spokesperson on Vijay Mallya’s extradition to India.
As Indian public sector banks pressurized Vijay Mallya to repay the loaned amounthe fled the country for London on March 2, 2016. He had been partially successful in evading his extradition to India after the dilution of a CBI lookout notice against him. The latest ruling Monday by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London to send him back to India is a shot in the arm for Narendra Modi government that is facing criticism for economic woes and its inability to bring in fugitive businessmen to India.
Just a week ago, Modi had sought “active cooperation” with member nations at the G-20 meet in Argentina to nab high profile economic offenders.