‘Please take it, end narrative I stole money’: Vijay Mallya

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Dec 06, 2018 : Liquor baron Vijay Mallya said in a tweet again on Thursday he wants to end the “narrative that he stole money” from various lenders and asked the banks to take the amount he owes them, HindustanTimes reported.

 

Mallya also said there was no link between his proposal to settle the loans and the extradition of Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, who was brought back to India on Tuesday. He, however, did not name Michel in the tweet.

“Respectfully to all commentators, I cannot understand how my extradition decision or the recent extradition from Dubai and my settlement offer are linked in any way. Wherever I am physically,my appeal is “Please take the money”. I want to stop the narrative that I stole money,” the 62-year-old wrote.

Mallya had tweeted on Wednesday insisting that he is not a defaulter and repeated his claim that he is ready to repay “100 per cent” of the money owed to Indian banks but wondered why his offer made since 2016 has been refused.

The businessman is facing extradition from the United Kingdom to India to face charges of financial irregularities running into thousands of crores. Judgement in the high-profile case is due in the Westminster magistrates court on Monday.

Mallya fled India in March 2016 even as a debt court in Bengaluru was set to act against him for defaulting on loans issued by several banks led by the state-owned State Bank of India. He is fighting an effort to get him extradited to India on charges of fraud and money laundering.

Besides the extradition case, Mallya is also facing recovery action against his assets in the UK brought by 13 Indian banks and another mortgage recovery action by the UBS Bank against his house in central London.