NEW DELHI: A defiant Vijay Mallya, who is facing money laundering charges in multi-crore fraud case in India, on Wednesday claimed that he met the finance minster before leaving the country, news agency ANI reported. Speaking outside a London court, Mallya said, “I met the finance minster to settle matters before I left. The banks had filed objections to my settlement letters
Arun Jaitley was the finance minister when Mallya left India in March 2016. He is also the current finance minister. Mallya spoke to reporters during his hearing in extradition case at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airline boss, who has been on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, responded to the swarm of reporters gathered outside the court in his characteristic manner, saying the “courts will decide”.
Earlier in the day, Mallya said that he had made a “comprehensive settlement” offer before the Karnataka High Court that will help in paying off all his dues. According to Mallya, he and the United Breweries Group (UBHL) have filed an application in the Karnataka HC on June 22, 2018, setting out available assets of approximately Rs 13,900 crore.
They have asked the court for permission to allow the sale of assets under judicial supervision and repay creditors, including the Public Sector Banks such amounts as may be directed and determined by the Court. The extradition trial, which opened at the London court on December 4 last year, is aimed at laying out a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya.