Lalit Modi’s extradition may take a year

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/592887/mallya-loan-default-case-ex.html

CBI today arrested a former chairman and three other ex-officials of IDBI Bank along with four former executives of Kingfisher airlines in connection with the Vijay Mallya loan default case.

Those arrested include the then Chairman of IDBI Bank Yogesh Aggarwal and former CFO of now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines A Raghunathan, CBI sources said.

They said three more former executives of the airlines and three more former officials of IDBI Bank were also taken into custody.

The arrests were followed by searches at 11 places including Mallya's residence here, three floors of UB towers in Bengaluru and residences of Aggarwal and Raghunathan among others.

UB Group issued a statement in Bengaluru confirming the visit of CBI team. "A CBI team visited the UB Group offices in Bangalore today and we are fully cooperation with them," a UB group spokesperson said.

Other IDBI executives arrested by CBI include O V Bundellu, S K V Srinivasan and R S Sridhar, they said.

The sources said besides former CFO of Kingfisher Airlines, three more former executives Shailesh Borke, A C Shah and Amit Nadkarni were also arrested.

The arrests have been made from multiple cities. While Raghunathan was arrested in Mumbai, Aggarwal was taken into custody from Gurgaon, the sources said.

CBI has alleged that Aggarwal approved the loans and also instructed to expedite the ratings while finalising the loans to Kingfisher Airlines of over Rs 900 crore.

The agency had alleged that loans were issued by accepting Kingfisher brand as hypothecation, lease aircraft and guarantees from UB group and Mallya himself.

During the probe, CBI had come across alleged communication from Raghunathan to IDBI bank in which he had referred to meetings between Mallya and Aggarwal. The agency is investigating if the loan disbursal took place after these meetings.

CBI had registered a case against Mallya, Director of defunct Kingfisher Airlines; the company; A Raghunathan, Chief Financial Officer of the Airlines; and unknown officials of IDBI Bank.

The loan was allegedly sanctioned in violation of norms regarding credit limits. The sources said there was no need for the bank to take the exposure outside the consortium.

"It was first exposure to the bank. There was no need for the bank to take the exposure outside the consortium when already other loans were getting stressed," a senior CBI official, probing the matter, had earlier said.

Rs 250 crore of loan given by IDBI Bank was allegedly routed through different bank accounts of Kingfisher Airlines which had stopped operations in 2012 following huge debts.

Mallya, who has moved to Europe last year, is facing another CBI case which was filed on the basis of complaint from State Bank of India which is one of the lenders to the Kingfisher Airlines in connection with Rs 1,600 crore of alleged default.

The CBI said a case has been registered against Mallya and others after receiving a complaint from State Bank of India, which is leading a consortium of 17 banks that have given loans to Kingfisher Airlines.

The airline, owned by Mallya, had taken Rs 6,900 crore from a consortium of 17 lenders in early 2010 after a second debt restructuring for the airline.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...oan-case-involving-Mallya/article17089136.ece

The CBI on Tuesday filed a charge sheet in connection with the IDBI loan default case involving the defunct Kingfisher Airlines in which its promoter Vijay Mallya, who has been declared a proclaimed offender by a court, is a wanted accused.

The agency has named nine people whom it arrested on Monday in the case —— former chairman of IDBI Yogesh Aggarwal, former CFO of the Kingfisher Airlines A Raghunathan, IDBI executives O V Bundellu, S K V Srinivasan, R S Sridhar, B K Batra, and Kingfisher executives Shailesh Borke, A C Shah and Amit Nadkarni —— in the charge sheet, leaving out Mallya, as he is yet to be arrested.

A CBI source said the charge sheet mentioned that its special investigation team found there were many commissions and omissions on the part of IDBI officials in the process of sanctioning and disbursement of loan of Rs 1,300 crore to KFA.

According to the probe so far, about Rs 260 crore was diverted by KFA, while Rs 263 crore was used to pay salaries, tax deducted at source, income tax and loan instalments.

A part of the loan amount was also allegedly diverted by Mallya for his “personal expenses“.

The CBI source said all the IDBI officials who have been arrested were instrumental in sanctioning and facilitating disbursement of the loan. The entire team of officials from IDBI, from the proposer to the verifier, was arrested yesterday.

According to CBI, a Letters Rogatory (request for legal assistance) has been sent to authorities in British Virgin Islands and Singapore seeking details of use of money lying in Kingfisher’s accounts in these tax havens, and the agency is awaiting their reply.

IDBI allegedly showed “undue favour” to KFA in the matter of sanction and disbursement of short-term loans of Rs 150 crore in October 2009 and Rs 200 crore in November 2009, and another corporate loan of Rs 750 crore in November 2009.

Despite weak financials, negative net worth and low credit rating of the borrower company, and despite the fact that Kingfisher being a new client did not satisfy the norms stipulated in corporate loan policy of the bank, loans were sanctioned, CBI source said.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/business/In...re-against-SEBI-ban-order/article17097619.ece

Beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya has hit out at the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for barring him from securities market with regard to alleged fund diversion from United Spirits and termed the charges “baseless.”

Mr. Mallya, in a series of tweets, called the allegations of fund diversion concerning now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines a “joke” and said he is getting used to “witch hunts coming from all directions with no legal basis whatsoever.”

“CBI alleges diversion of funds OUT of Kingfisher Air. SEBI alleges diversion of funds from USL INTO Kingfisher Air. What joke is this?,” Mr. Mallya tweeted.

He further said, “Allegations of fund diversion out of USL are baseless. USL accounts were approved by top Auditors, an eminent Board of Directors n (sic) shareholders.”

On Wednesday, SEBI had barred Mr. Mallya and six others from the securities market in a case related to alleged fund diversions from United Spirits, a company which he promoted before selling to Diageo. He had resigned as Director and Chairman of USL in March 2016.

“For 30 years I built the World’s largest Spirits Company n (sic) India’s largest Brewing Company. Also launched the finest Airline. This is what I get,” Mr. Mallya tweeted.


He alleged that there is a witch-hunt against him by the government.

“I am kind of getting used to these witch hunts coming from all directions with no legal basis whatsoever. Shows what Govt Machinery can do,” said Mr. Mallya in one of his tweets.

Claiming Kingfisher Airlines “was a great public utility service connecting India like never before” he said, “It was not my private toy.”

Mr. Mallya, who is now staying in London, also scoffed at suggestions that he had fled the country in the wake of the investigations against him saying his departure was “nothing sudden. I have been a non resident since 1988.”

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/593945/mallya-issue-manmohan-chidambaram-rubbish.html
New Delhi, Jan 30, 2017, (PTI)
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram today dismissed BJP's charges that they had helped Vijay Mallya get bank loans during UPA's tenure, even as Congress hit back raising a series of questions asking who let the beleaguered businessmen flee.

Ahead of the Budget Session, BJP alleged Congress has been pushed against the wall as "corrupt hands" of Singh and Chidambram ensured bank loans to Mallya's "sinking" Kingfisher Airlines. The party quoted from purported letters written by businessman Mallya to Singh in which he sought his intervention following which his now defunct company received loans.

Both Singh and Chidambaram insisted that letters from captains of industry were routine and were "marked down" to appropriate authorities and no law of the land was violated. "I think what I have done was done with a full satisfaction of mine that we were not doing anything which was against law of the land," Singh said rubbishing the charges at a press conference jointly addressed by him and Chidambaram at AICC headquarters.

Singh said all Prime Ministers and other Ministries in any government receives representations from various captains of industry. "In normal course... we pass on these to appropriate authorities. It was a normal routine transaction and therefore the letter that is being talked about is nothing but an ordinary piece of letter which any government in my position would have dealt with," he said.

Chidambaram, on his part, said the hundreds of representations received in the government are not dealt by Ministers themselves. "No Minister can deal with each one of these representations. They are marked down to departments and officers concerned, who will then take appropriate follow-up action," he said, adding that there was "absolutely nothing wrong" if somebody seeks some policy changes or forbearance.

"If letter to PMO is marked down to Principal Secretary to PM and Principal Secretary forwards it to department concerned, these are normal," he claimed. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala posed a set of questions on BJP, asking the ruling party as to who was responsible for allowing the escape of Mallya from India despite the fact that a consortium of banks had moved against him for recovery of over Rs 9,000 crore.

"Was Vijay Mallya tipped off to run away from India by a high ranking official inside the Modi Government?," he asked. Surjewala also asked why did BJP vote for and help him get elected as an MP of Rajya Sabha in June 2010 and if it was true that Vijay Mallya has been Working President of Subramaniam Swamy's Janata Party.

"Why did Modi Government permit 'Diageo plc' which now owns United Breweries, make payment of USD 40 Million as part of agreement dated 25.02.2016 as also receive this money in an offshore account? What action has Modi Government taken against 'Diageo plc' and United Breweries?," the Congress leader asked.

According to CBI, Letters Rogatory (request for legal assistance) have been sent to authorities in British Virgin Islands and Singapore seeking details of use of money lying in Kingfisher's accounts in these tax havens. The agency is awaiting their reply.

IDBI allegedly showed "undue favour" to KFA in the matter of sanction and disbursement of short-term loans of Rs 150 crore in October 2009 and Rs 200 crore in November 2009, and another corporate loan of Rs 750 crore in November 2009.

It was alleged in the charge sheet that a significant portion of the disbursed facility (loan) was diverted by Kingfisher to service their existing debt with other banks, and was also diverted to settle the documentary bills discounted by Bank of Baroda.

Significant amounts were also allegedly remitted out of India on the pretext of payment of lease rental and purchase of aircraft parts, while Rs 3.45 crore were paid into the bank account of Kingfisher in London, said the CBI charge sheet.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...uest-for-Mallya-to-the-UK/article17278356.ece

If an extradition request is honoured, it shows their “sensitivity towards our concerns,” the MEA said.

India on Thursday handed over to the UK an extradition request for absconding businessman Vijay Mallya who is facing cases of loan default and other financial irregularities.

“Today, we handed over the request for extradition of Vijay Vittal Mallya which we received from the CBI to the UK High Commission here. We have requested the UK side to extradite him to face trial in India,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Vikas Swarup said.

Asserting that India has a “legitimate” case against Mallya, he said if an extradition request is honoured, it shows their “sensitivity towards our concerns.”

“We have made the extradition request in prescribed format and it is for the UK to deliberate on the request and take further action,” he added.

Mr. Swarup also said India is yet to make an extradition request for former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi.

Last month, a CBI court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Mallya in the Rs 720-crore IDBI Bank loan default case. Mallya, whose now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes more than Rs 9,000 crore to various banks, had left India on March 2.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/busin...ijay-mallya/story-aZkKm9eSbJPHWOHpJweU9N.html

A special court in Mumbai has allowed the Enforcement Directorate to invoke the India-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to bring back liquor baron Vijay Mallya to the country to face money laundering probe.

The special court, which is entrusted with hearing cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, had last week approved the Enforcement Directorate’s request to issue an order against Mallya under the India-UK treaty.

ED officials said the court approved their request on the basis of the agency’s investigation and attachment of assets in the criminal case where Mallya and his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) are alleged to have defrauded IDBI Bank to the tune of about Rs 900 crore.

The ED, they said, has now sent the court-issued request to the Union home ministry for further execution of the order in cooperation with its counterparts in the United Kingdom.

The order has come as a fresh blow to the beleaguered businessman as India, through the ministry of external affairs, has recently handed over to the UK an extradition request against Mallya, based on a CBI case in the same offence.

The CBI too is probing this alleged loan default case under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Besides the request under MLAT, the ED has also appended the non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued by the special court last year, in the official dossier sent to the home ministry.

The 1992 India-UK MLAT has a clause where the treaty can be invoked in a criminal probe seeking the “transfer of persons, including persons in custody, for the purpose of assisting in investigations or giving evidence” and it is understood that the ED considers this step a better legal tool than the regular extradition action to get a person under investigation by Indian probe agencies back to the country.

The ED has been wanting Mallya to join the probe in this case “in person” and had issued multiple summons to him but could not get success as Mallya, who is in the UK, never deposed before it.

The ED has virtually exhausted all legal options to bring him back to India including the issuance of NBW against him based on which it had made the requests for revocation of his passport and subsequent deportation bid, apart from seeking an Interpol warrant against him which has remained unsuccessful till now.

The central probe agency is also working to soon file its first charge sheet in the case even as it has attached assets worth Rs 9,661 crore in this probe case.

The ED had registered a criminal case in this deal last year under the provisions of the PMLA, based on a CBI FIR.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://zeenews.india.com/india/cbi-...orter-moin-qureshi-in-graft-case_1979362.html

Delhi: The CBI on Monday registered a FIR against meat exporter Moin Qureshi in a graft case.

The meat exporter is facing probes by Enforcement Directorate as well as Income Tax Department for alleged tax evasion, money laundering among others.

Income Tax Department had issued notices to Qureshi under the new Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 as probe led it to few foreign assets owned or held by the meat exporter and his family in an alleged illegal manner as they were not declared or reported to Indian tax authorities.

Qureshi is also facing charges of money laundering and hawala-like dealings and is being probed by the ED.

The case emerged after Income Tax Department first carried out searches against Qureshi and his firm AMQ Group on February 15, 2014.

In November last year, the Enforcement Directorate had asked CBI to probe allegations of corruption against public servants in connection with the case, CBI sources had said, as per PTI.


First Published: Monday, February 20, 2017 - 19:01

Meat exporter Moin Qureshi is said to be in London.

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http://zeenews.india.com/india/sanj...to-foil-escape-bids-by-criminals_1979350.html

New Delhi: India may seek Nepal's help to foil escape bids of its wanted criminals through that country's soil after an accused arms dealer is suspected to have travelled to the UK via Kathmandu.


The government is exploring the option of approaching Nepal seeking help to have more stringent checks on people against whom India has issued look-out notices, a Home Ministry official said.

It is still in consultation stage and no decision has been taken on it yet, the official said.

The consideration comes after controversial arms dealer was Sanjay Bhandari suspected to have fled to the UK from Kathmandu.

India and Nepal have an open border which allows free movement of each other's citizens.

In 2004, Rabinder Singh, a joint secretary in India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), was believed to have fled to the US through Nepal, weeks after he was found photocopying documents not related to his work.

Bhandari left the country late last year after Delhi Police booked him for alleged violation of the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

The CBI also forwarded to the Interpol Delhi Police's request for the issuance of Red Corner Notice against Bhandari.

The ED had, last year, issued summons to Bhandari and his aides to submit documents related to the transactions of their firms as part of its probe into the case under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

The ED's Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), equivalent of a police FIR, has taken note of the preliminary investigations done by the Ministry of Defence and the Income Tax Department against Bhandari.

ECIR has also recorded the charges made against him under the Official Secrets Act and those for alleged tax evasion by the Income Tax Department.

The case first came to light after the I-T Department conducted searches against Bhandari last April and recovered certain "sensitive" official defence documents from his premises.


First Published: Monday, February 20, 2017 - 18:37


**********************

http://zeenews.india.com/india/i-t-...i-under-new-anti-black-money-act_1979364.html

New Delhi: The Income Tax department has booked arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari under the new and stringent anti-black money Act and is mulling attaching his foreign and domestic assets as part of a tax evasion probe against him.

Officials said the agency recently slapped provisions of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 in addition to the case being probed against him as per the existing Income Tax Act of 1961.

They said the department had identified about half-a-dozen foreign assets in the name of Bhandari and his associates, and the taxman is mulling to attach them as part of the probe.

Some of his domestic assets are also under the scanner of the taxman, they said.

Under the new anti-black money law, cases of overseas illegal assets, which till recently were probed under the Income Tax Act, 1961, attract a steep 120 per cent tax and penalty on undisclosed foreign assets and income, besides carrying a jail term of up to 10 years.

Bhandari has been issued notices under the new Act but the officials are yet to get a confirmation if he will depose before them and cooperate in taking the case forward.

The case came to light after the I-T department conducted searches in April last year in Delhi and recovered certain "sensitive" official defence documents from his premises.

Bhandari, at present, is being investigated by three premier probe agencies of the country, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Delhi Police's crime branch.

ED has recently booked him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) even as a case under forex laws is already being pursued against him by the agency.

Reports have suggested that Bhandari had sneaked out of the country recently after Delhi Police booked him for alleged violation of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) last year.

The taxman, last year, had also shared a "seizure memo record" with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to apprise it about the contents of the "sensitive" documents allegedly seized from Bhandari's premises, after which the Ministry sought an FIR against him for contravention of OSA.

The CBI has now forwarded a Delhi Police request to Interpol to obtain a global arrest warrant or the Red Corner Notice (RCN) against him.


First Published: Monday, February 20, 2017 - 19:07

 

[Hindustani78]

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...ack-vijay-mallya-from-uk-to-mea-mlat-4534931/

The Home Ministry today forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) a court-issued request to bring back embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya from the United Kingdom to India to face money laundering probe. In a communication to the MEA, the Home Ministry has provided it details of the Mumbai special court order which approved the Enforcement Directorate’s request to invoke the India-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to bring back Mallya to the country.

The External Affairs Ministry has been requested to forward the communication to the authorities in the UK to extradite Mallya to India, official sources said.

The Mumbai special court, which is entrusted with hearing cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), had last fortnight approved the ED’s request to issue an order against Mallya under the India-UK treaty.

The court approved ED’s request on the basis of the agency’s investigation and attachment of assets in the criminal case where Mallya and his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) are alleged to have defrauded IDBI Bank to the tune of about Rs 900 crore.

The move is a fresh blow to the beleaguered businessman as India, through the External Affairs Ministry, recently handed over to the UK an extradition request against Mallya, based on a CBI case in the same offence.

The CBI too is probing this alleged loan default case under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Besides the request under MLAT, the ED has also appended in the dossier the Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) issued by the special court last year.

The 1992 India-UK MLAT has a clause through which the treaty can be invoked in a criminal probe seeking the “transfer of persons, including persons in custody, for the purpose of assisting in investigations or giving evidence” and it is understood that the ED considers this step a better legal tool than the regular extradition action to get a person under investigation by Indian probe agencies back to the country.


The ED has been wanting Mallya to join the probe in this case “in person” and had issued multiple summons to him but could not get success as Mallya, who is in the UK, never deposed before it.

The ED has virtually exhausted all legal options to bring Mallya back to India including the issuance of NBW, based on which it had made the requests for revocation of his passport and subsequent deportation bid, apart from seeking an Interpol warrant against him which has remained unsuccessful till now.

The central probe agency is also working to soon file its first charge sheet in the case even as it has attached assets worth Rs 9,661 crore in this probe case.

The ED had registered a criminal case in this deal last year under the provisions of the PMLA, based on a CBI FIR.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://zeenews.india.com/india/cbi-...t-defence-consultant-to-interpol_1979417.html

New Delhi: The CBI has forwarded to the Interpol a request by Delhi Police for a Red Corner Notice against defence consultant Sanjay Bhandari.

Bhandari is alleged to have moved to London via Nepal giving a slip to the police which had registered a case under the provisions of Officials Secrets Act, law to protect confidential documents.

The CBI is the nodal body in India for affairs related to the Lyon-based Interpol. Any agency which wants help of the Interpol has to submit its request to the CBI which then forwards it to the Interpol.

Once the Interpol completes its due procedure, it may issue a Red Corner Notice asking its member countries to arrest Bhandari whenever identified.

But Bhandari has legal options to challenge the notice and also present his case to the Interpol.

Police had registered a case in connection with the recovery of confidential documents of the Ministry of Defence from the residence of Bhandari and his associate during an IT raid in April, 2016.

"The OSA case was registered against Bhandari and his aide in New Delhi district's Parliament Street police station. After a month of probe by the local police, the case was transferred to Crime Branch in November," a Delhi Police officer had said.

During the searches carried out by the Income Tax Department, papers of the Defence Ministry, including those related to a much-delayed proposal to buy mid-air refuellers, were allegedly recovered from his premises.

The FIR was registered in October on a complaint by a senior Defence Ministry official that the documents and copies of classified papers recovered during the raid were violative of the Official Secrets Act.

As per the FIR, the searches were also conducted at a Defence Colony premises occupied by Bhandari's close associate Ashok Shankar.


First Published: Monday, February 20, 2017 - 21:35

New Delhi February 21, 2017 00:49 IST
Updated: February 21, 2017 10:36 IST

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/arms-dealer-does-a-mallya/article17336446.ece?homepage=true

Under investigation for possessing classified documents, he flees to London


Months after Sanjay Bhandari, a controversial defence middleman under investigation for possessing classified documents of the Defence Ministry, went off the radar, he was spotted in London by a television news channel.

The Delhi Police registered a case against Mr. Bhandari under the Official Secrets Act on October 16, 2016, after Income Tax officials recovered a set of secret documents from his Defence Colony residence that April.

The Income Tax Department had impounded his passport to ensure that he did not travel abroad. However, he allegedly managed to slip out of the country via Nepal. The Central Bureau of Investigation has forwarded to the Interpol the Delhi Police’s request for issuance of a Red Notice against Mr. Bhandari.

Earlier this month, the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against him. The I-T Department is investigating the allegations under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

The directorate had earlier summoned the arms dealer for recording his statement. However, he did not appear before the investigation team. He also avoided some of the summons from the I-T Department before he vanished from the scene.

I-T authorities suspect that the arms dealer has shifted a significant part of his assets to the ownership of a Dubai-based trust. Based on documents recovered from Mr. Bhandari’s chartered accountant, who was recently intercepted while returning from London, the I-T authorities suspect that several properties owned by Mr. Bhandari in India and elsewhere have been transferred to the ownership of the Dubai trust.

Officials said the trust was owned by a resident in official filings, while it is alleged that Mr. Bhandari is its executioner. It is standard practice in tax havens to have local residents to act as owners or professional directors, while the real beneficiaries remain behind secret agreements.

Mr. Bhandari dabbles in consultancy and liaison services in the defence sector. The official said the I-T Department had also sent to the Home Ministry what it said were a set of “classified” documents on major defence procurements under way. These were reportedly seized from Mr. Bhandari’s premises. He is known for his proximity to key people, both when the United Progressive Alliance was in power and now when the National Democratic Alliance is at the helm.

Escape plan
A senior Home Ministry official reiterated on Monday that Mr. Bhandari did not leave from any Indian port and had he done so, he would have been intercepted as there is a look-out circular against him. India may also seek Nepal’s help to foil escape bids of criminals through that country. The government is exploring the option of approaching Nepal to have more stringent checks on people against whom India has issued look-out notices, a Home Ministry official said. India and Nepal have an open border which allows free movement of each other’s citizens.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/597484/mea-invoke-treaty-bring-mallya.html

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to initiate steps to request the United Kingdom to hand over liquor baron Vijay Mallya to face money laundering probe here.

In a communication to the MEA, the MHA informed the former that a Mumbai special court order allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to invoke the India-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to bring back Mallya to the country.

The special court passed the order on a petition filed by the ED following its investigation against Mallya and his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) for defrauding the IDBI Bank of around Rs 900 crore.

The latest move is in addition to a recent extradition request sent to the UK, based on a CBI FIR in the same case.

The CBI is probing the default angle while the ED is looking into laundering of the money.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nati...ss-pending-deportation-extradition-cases.html

New Delhi: India and the UK on Monday held discussions on various issues pertaining to pending cases relating to deportation and extradition.

According to officials, Joint Secretary in-charge of the UK in the External Affairs Ministry held the consular dialogue with his British counterpart, assisted by officials including those from crown prosecution.


No official details were available about the meeting which comes barely weeks after India made an extradition request for embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

Mallya has been probed for money laundering charges in a case of alleged default of bank loan worth around Rs 900 crore.

The two sides discussed several pending deportation cases involving Indians from the UK.

In November, India had asked Britain to extradite nearly 60 people wanted by it, including Mallya, for bringing them back to face justice here.


The Indian list of wanted people was handed over to Britain during the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Theresa May.


Britain also had handed over to India a list of 17 people whose custody it seeks under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty or against whom Letters Rogatory had been issued.

 

[Hindustani78]

Old article

India has asked the United Kingdom to return 57 fugitives, including liquor baron Vijay Mallya, and members of some Sikh extremist groups. A list of wanted individuals was handed over to the visiting delegation

Apart from Mr. Mallya, the list includes the likes of Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the Agusta- Westland VVIP helicopter deal and 2002 Gujarat riots accused Sameer Ali.

Another person India wants to be extradited is Rajesh Kapoor in an alleged case of kidnapping of a child.

Lieutenant-General Kuldeep Singh Brar, 78, was attacked as he walked with his wife in central London in 2012.

Mandeep Singh Sandhu, of Birmingham, Dilbag Singh and Harjit Kaur, both from London and Barjinder Singh Sangha, of Wolverhampton, were sentenced earlier.

Mandeep Singh Sandhu, of Birmingham, Dilbag Singh and Harjit Kaur, both from London and Barjinder Singh Sangha, of Wolverhampton

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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/597588/britain-agrees-act-fast-extraditing.html
NEW DELHI: Feb 22, 2017, DHNS

The British government has agreed to act fast on New Delhi’s requests for extraditing 16 people, including business tycoon Vijay Mallya.

The officials from the two countries met here on Monday and Tuesday to discuss ways to avert delays. The move came after New Delhi on February 9 requested the British government to extradite Mallya so that he could be made to stand trial for loan default and money laundering. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday also asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to invoke the 1995 India-UK treaty for mutual legal assistance to prosecute Mallya.

Arun Chatterjee, joint secretary (consular, passport and visa) at the MEA, led the Indian delegation while the British delegation was led by the chief of the UK Central Authority for Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance.

A source told DH that officials from the two countries tried to identify the causes for delays, explored ways to expedite pending requests and had a specific discussion on extraditing Mallya.

“Both sides held detailed and fruitful deliberations on the legal processes and procedures in either country and reviewed the requests for extradition and mutual legal assistance pending on either side,” the MEA stated.

“Both sides reiterated their determination to strengthen legal cooperation and expedite the pending requests.” The officials agreed that the central authorities of both the countries would review further progress in the pending cases every six months through video conferences. The existing extradition treaty between the two countries has not helped India much. New Delhi, in fact, could not get anyone extradited from the UK until a few months ago.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...dition-case/story-nD0WJPKSEmSPBVQVVB0iKM.html

The UK has given no assurance regarding the extradition of Vijay Mallya, the embattled businessman wanted in India for charges of money laundering and defaulting on bank loans, sources said on Tuesday.

Dismissing reports about such an assurance, a source said, “We don’t have any assurance from the UK yet on the extradition request, which is a judicial process.”

The reports emerged after Indian and British officials held discussions in New Delhi on issues related to pending cases for deportation and extradition. The meeting was held weeks after India made an extradition request for liquor baron Mallya.

London-based sources told Hindustan Times that Britain is now “very positive” on India’s extradition requests, including that for Mallya. However, the sources cautioned that the actual extradition of Mallya and others “is a long way off”.

There has been only one extradition from Britain to India since a treaty was signed in September 1992 between then home minister SB Chavan and his counterpart Ken Clarke. For nearly 25 years, Indian agencies have been frustrated at not being able to secure the extradition of wanted individuals based in Britain.

The only extradition happened in October 2016, of Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, 40, who was wanted in a 2002 Gujarat riots-related case. His extradition was expedited because he “consented” to it, unlike others who oppose extradition.

Mallya is being investigated for money laundering in a case of alleged default of bank loans worth around Rs 900 crore.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the two sides discussed several pending deportation cases involving Indians based in the UK. In November, India asked Britain to extradite nearly 60 people, including Mallya, so that they could face justice.

Britain also handed over to India a list of 17 people whose custody it is seeking under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty or against whom Letters Rogatory have been issued.

Tiger Hanif, wanted in India in connection with the 1993 blasts in Surat, has consistently opposed extradition from the UK. He was arrested in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in March 2010 but lost all legal avenues to avoid it.

One of his pleas to prevent extradition – that he would be tortured in Indian jails – was overruled by the judge in the Westminster Magistrates Court in May 2012.

The court sent a team to Gujarat to examine jail conditions there and to assess the validity of Hanif’s plea, but the judge dismissed it and called him a “classic fugitive”.

Hanif, an aide of mob boss Dawood Ibrahim whose full name is Mohammed Umarji Patel, made a final appeal to then home secretary Theresa May, soon after the court’s judgement in May 2012. Current home secretary Amber Rudd has not yet acted on the final appeal.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/597751/wanted-mallya-appears-uk-launch.html

Businessman Vijay Mallya, who is wanted in India for Rs 9,000 crore loan default, was today seen at an event in UK promoting a new Formula One car launched by his team Sahara Force India.

A relaxed Mallya, looking dapper in a suit, was seen with his two drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon in a photograph uploaded by official Formula One website (www.formula1.com).

The new car of his F1 team was launched today at Silverstone. Fugitive Mallya has been on the radar of the Indian agencies for a long time now and the government has been in talks with the UK government for his extradition over charges of multi-crore loan default by a consortium of Indian banks.

Force India thus became the fourth team to reveal their 2017 Formula One racing car, after pulling the covers off their new VJM10 at Silverstone. The Mercedes-powered team has retained much of their 2016 livery, although the bodywork is significantly different this year -- with Force India incorporating a thumb-tip nose and sharkfin engine cover, as also seen on the new Williams, Sauber and Renault.

While the team surpassed all expectations by finishing fourth in the constructors' championship -- their best-ever finish -- team principal Vijay Mallya says it is too early to set targets for 2017, particularly given the major regulation changes.

"Simply repeating our performance level of 2016 will be a big task in itself," Mallya said. "I don't want to set goals or targets other than to say that we intend to maintain the momentum we have built up in recent years and carry it into the new season. There are too many unknowns to say more than this," he was quoted as saying by the officials F1 website.

Technical Director Andrew Green added: "It's definitely a big overhaul; one that requires a change in mentality. It took a bit of time to adjust at first, but we are there now and I am confident we know where to look and where the performance is coming from with this car.

"The development slope is incredibly steep and we are going to see significant updates to the cars at regular intervals, right from the start; it's going to be big updates and I don't think development will start to taper off any time soon."

The car was presented by Sergio Perez -- who enters his fourth season with Force India -- and new recruit Esteban Ocon, who is a member of the Mercedes junior team.

Perez finished seventh in the 2016 driver standings, taking podiums at both Monaco and Baku. Ocon, meanwhile contested, the final nine races of the year with Manor, with a best result of 12th in the rain-hit Grand Prix in Brazil.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...al-football/story-pINNdWOLM6IKKm0YHi7BIK.html

“There is a requirement for legal and judicial determination here in the UK, let them come with whatever evidence they have -- but I doubt if they have any evidence -- and then let the law take its own course,” he said.

India wants Mallya to face trial after the liquor and aviation tycoon was charged with conspiracy and fraud over a loan to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. It said this month that it had asked Britain to extradite him.

Mallya, who has a base in London as well as a country home bought from the father of triple world champion Lewis Hamilton, moved to Britain last March after banks sued to recover some $1.4 billion the Indian authorities say is owed by Kingfisher.

He has dismissed the charges against him, saying last month that “not one rupee was misused”.

“The government-owned banks are trying to hold me personally responsible for the failure of India’s largest airline and to repay their debts,” Mallya told Reuters in an interview at the launch of his team’s 2017 car.

“I have a counter claim on them as well. That is in the judicial system right now.

“Recovery of loans made to a PLC is a purely civil matter. The central bureau of investigation, at the behest of the government, converted it into a criminal matter. And then charges of defrauding banks and money-laundering appeared.

“I will be and am severely contesting all this, legally. I firmly believe they have absolutely no case against me whatsoever.”

Mallya attended only one of 21 races last year -- the British Grand Prix at Silverstone next door to his factory -- and watched the rest from a ‘control room’ installed in his country mansion.

He has not left the country in nearly a year, also attending meetings of the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) by video conferencing.

“I am safe in this country under UK laws, until proven otherwise,” Mallya said.

“And I would rather be safe than sorry because I certainly do not want to be at the mercy of some maverick in the government of India.”