A Mumbai Court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Vijay Mallya on Saturday. He was asked to appear before the court, and as he failed to do so, the warrant was issued.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also issued its second attachment order for assets worth Rs 6,630 crore against Mallya as it seized his farmhouse, flats and FDs in connection with its money laundering case against him and his associates.
The agency had recently expanded the probe in this regard as it took over investigation into the alleged loan default of Rs 6,027 crore availed from a consortium of nationalised banks led by SBI.
The total attachment made by the agency has now shot up to Rs 8,044 crore as it had attached assets worth Rs 1,411 crore a few months back.
The agency alleged these assets were the “proceeds generated out of criminal activity” of the alleged default of bank loans, claiming Mallya “criminally conspired” with Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) and United Breweries Holdings Limited to obtain funds through the consortium of banks which “still remains unpaid”.
ED had recently filed a fresh PMLA case against Mallya and his associates after it booked him earlier under the criminal law in a case of similar alleged bank loan default of Rs 900 crore against IDBI bank.
By registering the fresh case, ED wants to strengthen its probe against the liquor baron and expedite a slew of actions it has initiated against him, including getting a global arrest warrant issued by Interpol and invoking the India-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to force the businessman to return and join the investigation.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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