India asks UK to deport Mallya

India has asked UK to deport business tycoon and parliamentarian Vijay Mallya, who is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

The Ministry of External Affairs has written to the British High Commission in New Delhi, conveying India’s request to the UK Government for deportation of Mallya. The MEA pointed out in its communique that the liquor baron’s passport had been revoked and a non-bailable warrant had been issued against him by a special court in Mumbai.

“The ministry has written to the High Commission of the UK in Delhi requesting the deportation of Vijay Mallya so that his presence can be secured for investigations against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002,” Vikas Swarup, official spokesperson of the MEA, told mediapersons on Thursday.

The MEA also asked the High Commission of India in London to issue a note verbale to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government asking for deportation of Mallya.

Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines defaulted on loans of over Rs 9,400 crores. He left the country for UK on March 2, the day a consortium of 13 banks, which had lent him money, moved the Debt Recovery Tribunal to step up pressure on him to return the money.

New Delhi is of the view that getting Mallya deported from UK might not be difficult because a court had issued a warrant against the liquor baron and his passport had also been revoked.

The ED informed the ministry that a special court in Mumbai had issued a non-bailable warrant against Mallya under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED requested for initiation of the procedure for seeking his deportation from UK.

The ED had earlier requested the MEA to suspend the passport of Mallya, as he had refused to appear before the agency despite being summoned by it thrice between March 10 and April 2. The agency had declined pleas by Mallya’s lawyers seeking more time for the flamboyant billionaire to return from UK and appear before it. The MEA first suspended the diplomatic passport issued to Mallya, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha. The passport was later revoked.

Meanwhile, the efforts to bring back Mallya gained momentum, even as the MEA on Thursday told Parliament that it was yet to receive a request by agencies concerned for extradition of former Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi from the UK. Modi too was under a probe by the ED for alleged money laundering.

“The extradition request in respect of Lalit Modi is yet to be received by the MEA,” Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh told Rajya Sabha in response to a question.

The ED has been asking Modi to “join investigations” after an FIR was registered against him and others under the provisions of PML Act 2002.