Vijay Mallya, currently in UK, is wanted in India for over a billion dollars in unpaid loans. (File)
Vijay Mallya, wanted in India for loans worth Rs 9,000 crore, has told a Delhi court that he cannot attend hearings because his passport has been cancelled.
Mr Mallya has been declared a wilful defaulter in India on account of the nearly 1 billion dollars owed by his defunct Kingfisher Airlines.
He flew to London from Delhi in March and has refused to return, claiming that he will not get a fair trial. As a Rajya Sabha member, he had a diplomatic passport which was cancelled by the government in April. The 60-year-old has resigned from parliament.
A non-bailable warrant has been issued for the liquor baron's arrest by a Mumbai court.
The court to which he offered his explanation today is hearing a case against Mr Mallya for violating foreign exchange laws in 2000. The Enforcement Directorate, which handles financial crimes, says he did not get clearances required to pay a foreign firms for advertising his Kingfisher brand in Europe at Formula One races. He owns the Force India team.
Mr Mallya cannot be deported from the UK because he has had an indefinite right of residency there since 1992.