It seems that The Quint’s reporting on Vijay Mallya’s alleged multi-crore bank loan fraud is bothering the premier investigating agency of India. In a press meet on Thursday, senior CBI officials kept refuting The Quint’s article on how the CBI tried to shield its Joint Director by making a junior officer the scapegoat.
There was a look-out notice issued against Mallya by the CBI, which said he should be detained if he were to leave the country. That condition to detain was later changed to just inform, mysteriously in November 2015. Within 48 hours of the revised LOC, Mallya came back to India. Here’s what happened at the briefing:
A senior level CBI official claimed that the LOC was issued with the approval of SP (Superintendent) level CBI official, and not a Joint Director.
- The Quint reported that the CBI crime manual says a LOC cannot be issued without the approval of the concerned Joint Director.
- The official claimed that The Quint misinterpreted the crime manual.
- We requested the senior official to give us in writing or email that the LOC was issued with approval of SP, CBI and the senior officials had no knowledge of this.
- The official noted that the CBI doesn’t give replies in writing. Yet, there have been instances in the past where the CBI intimated the media through emails.
In fact, when we asked the official whether the agency still stands by its LOC, the official’s response was affirmative. The official also said, “we know what we need to know about Mallya,” when asked whether the agency is aware of his whereabouts.
Considering the fact that the LOC was issued against a sitting MP, is it possible that a Joint Director’s approval wasn’t sought or required?
Prior to publishing this story, we wrote an email to the CBI with queries related to the questions raised in our coverage. It has been over six hours and we are yet to receive a response. We will update this report as and when the agency responds.
Also read:
Mallya Look-Out Circular: Many Disparities in the CBI’s Action
Mallya Lookout Circular: CBI Goof-Up or Cover-Up?
What If Vijay Mallya Doesn’t Come Back to India?
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