Delhi court orders attachment of Mallya's properties in PMLA case
A Delhi court on Tuesday ordered attachment of properties of business tycoon and liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who was declared a proclaimed offender for evading summons in a money laundering case related to FERA violation. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat directed the attachment through the Police Commissioner, Bengaluru, and sought a report by May 8 regarding the compliance of the order. Here's more.
The court was hearing an Enforcement Directorate (ED) plea seeking attachment of Mallya's properties. The court had on January 4 declared Mallya a proclaimed offender for evading summons in a FERA violation case after noting that he failed to appear before its despite repeated summonses. It had on April 12 last year issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against the liquor baron.
While issuing the non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Mallya, the court observed he had no inclination to return and had scant regard for the law of the land. An "open-ended NBW" does not carry a time limit for execution. It said that coercive process has to be initiated against Mallya as he was facing proceedings in several cases and avoiding an appearance in those matters.
The court had also held that Mallya's plea that he wanted to return to India but was "incapacitated" to travel as his passport had been revoked by Indian authorities was "malafide" and "abuse of the process of law". Mallya had reportedly submitted before the court on September 9 that he was "incapacitated" to travel despite "best intentions" as his passport had been revoked.
According to the ED, Vijay Mallya was summoned on four occasions for questioning in connection with the contract signed in December 1995 with London-based firm Benetton Formula Ltd for the promotion of the Kingfisher brand abroad.
When Mallya failed to appear before ED in response to the summons, a complaint was filed on March 8, 2000, before a court here and later charges were framed against him under FERA. Mallya, who had fled to the UK in March 2016, is also wanted in India for Kingfisher Airlines' default on loans worth nearly Rs. 9,000 crore and some other matters.
