ED resisted bids to settle loans, says Vijay Mallya
Live MintMumbai: United Breweries Holdings Ltd, or UB Group, chairman Vijay Mallya on Monday told a special court that he cannot be said to have “refused to return to India” as he is cooperating with the authorities in the UK in a case related to extradition proceedings and has submitted himself to that jurisdiction. In his reply submitted through his lawyers to the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court, Mallya has said his adherence to the UK law cannot and does not render him a “fugitive economic offender”. Amit Desai, senior counsel for Mallya, argued that the court should first hear the intervention petition filed by various stakeholders, including the State Bank of India, Standard Chartered Bank, United Spirits Ltd, and Mallya’s relatives. Hiten Venegaonkar, an advocate representing the Enforcement Directorate, argued the intervention petition is only related to protecting the properties but if the court first hears the plea to declare Mallya a fugitive economic offender and if the investigation agencies successfully convince the court, it will not be necessary to hear the other cases. However, here when the ED is contemplating to declare him fugitive economic offender, for the first time he files his reply through his lawyers,” argued Lakshmi Iyengar, counsel for the official liquidator for United Breweries Holdings Ltd. “So far, he has not submitted anything in other cases pending against him,” said Iyengar, responding to the argument made by Mallya’s lawyers that cases are already going on in Karnataka high court and hence this case is arbitrary, unreasonable and whimsical.