Vijay Mallya makes final bid to avoid extradition; fugitive repeats out-of-court antics

Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya showcased customary brazenness as he left the Royal Courts of Justice in London, refusing to comment on the ongoing case being heard on his extradition, his tried and tested demeanour not managing to mask the desperate situation in which he currently finds himself. Once again he emerged at the end of the hearing, lit up, stood before cameras and said 'no comment' to a host of questions.

Plea against Westminster magistrates court's judgment

Mallya had filed an appeal against the Westminster magistrates court’s 2018 ruling which had cleared his extradition to India to face fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crore. On Tuesday, his defence team maintained that there is no prima facie case against him in India to justify the extradition as against Indian government's stand of major financial offences against Mallya. His lawyers have challenged the Westminster magistrates court's ruling stating that there were multiple errors while understanding the documents in the court's judgment. 

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Justice Irwin and Justice Elisabeth Laing began a three-day appeal hearing against the Westminster magistrates court’s 2018 ruling that confirmed there is a case for Mallya to answer in relation to loans taken in 2009, thereby clearing his extradition.

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Tuesday is allotted for Mallya's lawyers to make their arguments while Wednesday will be given to the Crown Prosecution Service's lawyer on behalf of India to respond against Mallya's arguments while Thursday has been allocated to pronounce the judgment. Mallya's lawyer has argued that his failure to repay the loans is not due to an alleged fraud but due to business failure and economic downturn that affected the aviation industry at the time.

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