Fugitive business tycoon Vijay Mallya will not be extradited to India as of now as the United Kingdom needs to resolve a ‘confidential’ legal issue, a spokesperson of the British High Commission said on Thursday.
“Vijay Mallya last month lost his appeal against extradition and was refused leave to appeal further to the U.K. Supreme Court. However, there is a further legal issue that needs resolving before Mr. Mallya’s extradition can be arranged,” said the spokesperson.
The nature of the legal issue is not yet clear. However, it is being speculated that the tycoon could have sought political asylum in the United Kingdom or cited the threat to his health because of the possible spread of the COVID-19 in Indian prisons.
“The issue is confidential and we cannot go into any detail. We cannot estimate how long this issue will take to resolve. We are seeking to deal with this as quickly as possible,” said the spokesperson.
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Mr. Mallya’s legal battles against extradition received a setback in May when he was denied permission to appeal to the U.K. Supreme Court after a High Court upheld a 2018 ruling to send him to India to face legal process for defrauding banks of around ₹9,000 crore. At least 17 Indian banks are trying to recover loans that he had taken during his days as the owner of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines.
