Alleged fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya has again attacked Indian probe agencies, claiming injustice despite debt recovery. On X, he accused the CBI and ED of concocting charges and character assassination over the Kingfisher Airlines loan.
Mallya’s Social Media Offensive
Alleged fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya has once again launched into an offensive against investigative agencies claiming that he has been subject to injustice despite the agencies having recovered debts owed by him to banks.
After claiming that he was not a fugitive from India as the legal process in the UK had placed a bar on his travel, Mallya in a series of posts on X sought to poke holes in the investigative process into his debts. “To my media friends-this is not a “rant”. These are facts that you do not want to correctly report. Love me, hate me, abuse me (as most do) or ignore me but I will not change. God gave me guts and strength and more importantly taught me truth eventually prevails. I remain deeply religious even though I terribly miss visiting all the sacred temples where I worshipped,” he said.
Accusations of ‘Character Assassination’
Posting two releases from the Enforcement directorate related to attachments in an alleged money laundering case in Indore and the searches and seizures made at the residences of Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi Mallya took a jibe at the agency alleging it was indulging in character assassination. “Shameful. In which Country in the World do any enforcement agency boast like this without a fair trial? Enforcement Directorate boasting this. No chargesheet. No trial. Just character assassination in public. This does not happen in any other Country. Please think for yourself,” the posts claimed.
Defends Kingfisher Loan, Blames Agencies
Mallya then went on to claim that both the CBI and the ED had concocted charges against him, alleging that the loan taken by Kingfisher Airlines was approved by the banks in question. “For those who want to know the truth, I will slowly reveal all the lies and false charges concocted by the CBI and ED who are masters in deception. I have stood strong and patient and will continue as I do not believe in “giving up” to falsehood. But I pity all those other victims who have been wrongly targeted by these agencies. It is public knowledge on what they do,” he said.
“Finally, and as mentioned in the Enforcement Directorate affidavit, the CBI accused me and several others of improperly borrowing Rs 900 crores (since paid back in full with interest) from IDBI Bank in collusion with the CMD and Executive Directors. They allege misrepresentation and the fact that I met the CMD and Executive Directors on a Saturday. No evidence of any graft whatsoever. But the principal allegation (tantamount to crime) is that the Kingfisher Airline Financial position did not qualify for this loan. The loan was fully approved at all stages including by the IDBI Bank Board. Were the Board representatives from RBI and Ministry of Finance sleeping? Why target the IDBI officials and my Kingfisher Airlines finance team apart from me – prime accused?” he added.
CBI ‘Forced’ Him to Name Individual, Mallya Alleges
Mallya further alleged that the CBI had forced him to name an individual who had travelled with him on his corporate jet. “And coming to the dreaded CBI, they say that I am criminally liable because I used my Airbus Corporate Jet for personal purposes. They tried to force me to name a particular individual who had travelled with me and I refused. So many Industrialists own Corporate Jets in India now. Are they performing a criminal act by carrying family and friends? They also do not admit that my other successful Companies paid charter fees to Kingfisher Airlines,” he alleged.
Claims of Debt Recovery and Legal Status
Earlier, making a reference to the ongoing cases against him, Mallya had claimed that the Enforcement Directorate in an affidavit to the Bombay High Court had accepted that they had recovered Rs 14000 crore from him and paid that to the banks to which Mallya owed money. Mallya cited an excerpt of a reported affidavit which he claimed was filed in the Bombay HC by the Enforcement Directorate that cited recovery of Rs 14,131.60 cr from him.
In February this year, the Bombay High Court had reprimanded Vijay Mallya, saying that he cannot seek equitable relief while deliberately avoiding court proceedings. The court gave Mallya a final chance to clarify if he intends to return to India. Mallya’s petition challenges the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act and the declaration of his fugitiveness. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)