Bombay High Court dismisses Vijiay Mallya’s plea seeking stay on procedure to confiscate his assets

In a big setback to fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya the Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed his plea seeking stay on procedure to confiscate his property by government agencies.

Mallya had approached the High Court challenging a January 5 order of a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court declaring him a fugitive economic offender under the FEO Act.

As per provisions of the Act, once a person is declared a fugitive, his properties can be confiscated by the prosecuting agency, Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Vijay Mallya seeking stay on procedure to confiscate his property by Govt agencies: Bombay High Court dismisses Vijay Mallya's plea, refusing to give him any relief. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/Zpw2SmHHsS

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2019

The plea was opposed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) which argued that the object of the Act was to ensure the return of a person who is evading arrest in India.

Meanwhile, the beleaguered liquor tycoon has claimed that he is victim of a witch-hunt based on a "false" case against him after the UK High Court granted him permission to appeal against his extradition order.

The 63-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, wanted in India to face alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crores, won a reprieve when a two-judge bench at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday concluded that "arguments can be reasonably made” on some aspects of the prima facie case put forward by the Indian government.

"After all the mockery made of me, I would respectfully ask those interested parties to focus on the Divisional Bench Judgement in England, allowing me to challenge the core of the false prima facie case filed against me by the CBI. Witch-hunt?," Mallya had tweeted.