Vijay Mallya, declared a proclaimed offender in a money laundering case, on Sunday said he was not a “gate crasher”, suggesting that he was invited to the >book launch event in London which was also attended by the Indian High Commissioner.
Indian High Commissioner Navtej Sarna’s presence at the event on Thursday where Mr. Mallya was spotted sparked a row following which External Affairs Ministry on Saturday issued a clarification that Mr. Mallya was not on the list of invitees of the event organiser.
“Never gatecrashed in my life... I am not a gatecrasher and would never be one,” Mallya tweeted today, responding to the claims that he was not among the invitees.
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The MEA had said the High Commissioner left the stage and venue immediately after making his comments when he spotted Mr. Mallya in the audience. The event was organised by the London School of Economics.
The disgraced business tycoon, who had walked in soon after the event started, tweeted, “I went for my friend — the author. Sat quietly with my daughter and listened. Headline news and unfounded speculation followed.”
“No evidence, No charge sheet. Before claiming all this should I not be given a chance to pursue my legal remedies? Most unfair,” he said.
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Social media was in a frenzy after it emerged that Mr. Sarna, who was one of the special guests at the event to mark the launch of socialite Suhel Seth’s book, attended the function with Mr. Mallya in the audience.