Vijay Mallya is wanted in India over alleged non-payment of Kingfisher Airlines dues to banks
A court in UK will decide on December 10 if fugitive tycoon Vijay Mallya will be sent back to India to face prosecution on charges of fraud and moeny laundering amounting to around Rs. 9,000 crore. The court, on Wednesday, reviewed a video of the cell in a Mumbai jail where he might be lodged once he is extradited.
After the hearing, Vijay Mallya's lawyer called the video a "varnished version". Lawyer Clare Montgomery also claimed the Central Bureau of Investigation has threatened Indian banks to file charges against Vijay Mallya. The CBI, too, has been forced to file charges, she said.
"Look at the video submitted by the Indian government. Clearly shows that walls were specially painted. Perhaps a new toilet was put in," Vijay Mallya's lawyer said.
The 62-year-old boss of the defunct Kingfisher Airline has challenged an extradition request filed by the CBI, alleging that the condition in Indian jails is not humane.
Indian jails, his lawyer had argued, do not have proper air and light.
After his defence team demanded an inspection of the jail cell, the judge had asked for a video to verify the situation and see if the facilities meet the standards of Europe's Human Rights Commission.
In her closing submission, Ms Montgomery told the court that India had failed to provide enough evidence to form a "prima facie" case against him that's needed to warrant extradition. "It's undermined and set to naught by their own evidence," she said.
The CBI claimed Mr Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines had deliberately concealed facts. 'What Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher internally knew was totally different from what it was telling the banks. Kingfisher Airlines misrepresented facts about performance when applying for loans," the prosecution said.