Vijay Mallya’s Extradition Hits UK Govt ‘Hurdle’

New Delhi: Fugitive business tycoon Vijay Mallya, who is accused of financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore in India, will not be extradited anytime soon as there is a legal issue involved, the UK government said on Thursday.

Last month, the fugitive businessman lost his appeal against extradition to India and was refused permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

“However, there is a further legal issue that needs to be resolved before Vijay Mallya’s extradition can be arranged,” NDTV quoted a British High Commission spokesperson as saying.

The spokesperson, however, refused to divulge details, saying it was confidential. “Under the UK law, extradition cannot take place until it is resolved. The issue is confidential and we cannot go into details. We cannot estimate how long this issue will take to resolve. We are seeking to deal with this as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson added.

As per UK’s Extradition Act, an individual has to be extradited with 28 days of an order by a high court or Supreme Court. However, if the individual had made an asylum claim, which refers to an appeal to stay in the UK as a refugee, the extradition cannot be done unless the claim is settled.

Also Read: Mallya Loses Leave To Appeal Against Extradition In UK Supreme Court