London: The Westminister Magistrates’ Court in London on Monday decided to extradite liquor baron Vijay Mallya to India to face fraud charges.
He is wanted in India for alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crore in loans to his failed Kingfisher Airlines.
Speaking to the media outside the court, Mallya reportedly said that he wanted to disprove the narrative that he had stolen and the decision to repay had nothing to do with the extradition case.
The 62-year-old said that he was ready to repay 100 per cent of his dues – an offer he repeatedly made on Twitter – but Kingfisher employees should be paid first.
He left India in 2016 after a group of banks started legal proceedings to recover the loans. He had been living in a mansion near London since then.
CBI Joint Director S Sai Manohar and two ED officials were in London to attend the crucial hearing.
The order will be channelled to the United Kingdom Home Office, where Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, will pass an order based on the verdict of the Magistrates’ Court.
Mallay now have 14 days to file an appeal against the extradition order.
