Agencies will make every endeavour to bring back Mallya: FM

The ED has registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on an FIR registered last year by the CBI.

With the UK declining to deport owner of defunct Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said investigative agencies will make every endeavour to bring him back to face law.

Last week, Britain told India that it cannot deport Mallya, who is facing money laundering charges as well as recovery of the Rs 9,400 crore (Rs 94 billion) of loans to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines in the country, but could consider an extradition request for him.

"There are two separate procedures, one is deportation another is extradition. UK in deportation has conventionally never been helpful. They always take a plea that once somebody has entered with legitimate travel documents, they don't deport that person," he said at an Indian Women Press Corps event.

"Then they expect you to go through the extradition process which is as per the law. The requirement is once you file a chargesheet in court, you start the extradition process and that the due process of law which taken forward. I think the agencies will make every endeavour under the options available," he said.

India on April 28 asked the UK authorities to deport Mallya, whose Indian passport was revoked in a bid to secure his presence for taking forward the investigation against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. A non-bailable warrant has also been issued against Mallya.

Mallya left India on March 2 using his diplomatic passport.

The ED has registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on an FIR registered last year by the CBI.

The agency is also investigating financial structure of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines and looking into any payment of kickbacks to secure loans. 

Photographs: J. Adam Huggins/Getty Images