New Delhi: Amid uproar in Parliament over United Kingdom declining India's request to deport business tycoon Vijay Mallya, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said UK's decision is on expected lines. Playing down UK's decision, Jaitley said there was nothing new in the reaction.
Jaitley told Rajya Sabha that as per the information available with him, the UK has said deportation is not possible when a person enters Britain with a valid passport and the passport is cancelled subsequently. "Cancellation of passport does not result in automatic deportation, that is the stand taken by UK," Jaitley said.
The government had cancelled Mallya's passport weeks after he flew first-class to London on March 2. Public sector banks had also knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court to recover the loans. Mallya had a diplomatic passport by virtue of being a Rajya Sabha member. He resigned from the Upper House in May.
The Finance Minister said India will have to initiate extradition process after a charge sheet is filed to bring back the embattled tycoon to face money laundering charges as well as recovery of the Rs 9,400 crore of loans to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines
Jaitley said public sector banks are making all efforts to recover the loans and investigating agencies are inquiring into violations of law. The loans were extended to Kingfisher Airlines on personal guarantees extended by Mallya, who owns a flourishing liquor and other businesses.
Earlier, Sharad Yadav (JDU) raised the issue citing media reports that said the UK had told India that no case was made and Mallya cannot be deported. "You (government) allowed him to travel out in style. Government slept when he fled the country," he said.
Comments
0 comment