Vijay Mallya has submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court claiming that the banks are not required to know about his foreign assets. Mallya told the SC that overseas assets are not considered while granting loans, as he sought permission to file information in a sealed cover on 26 June.
However, CNBC-TV18 and Bloomberg India reported that he divulged his exact overseas assets, which stand at Rs 780 crore.
Mallya has refused to divulge details of overseas assets to banks even as he claimed that he can make an additional payment of Rs 1398 crore withheld by the Karnataka High Court.
However, he will pay the token money only if the SC intervenes in the pending cases. Stating his own terms, he said that he cannot pay the money until SC allows sale of shares stuck in litigation.
Mallya’s affidavit has come on the day the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought assistance from the Ministry of External Affairs in bringing him back to India through diplomatic channels – deported – to try him in a money laundering case.
The Indian government had suspended Mallya’s passport for four weeks and was given a week’s time to respond. Failing to respond to the notice in a week, his passport was to be suspended permanently.
On that note, Mallya also told the SC that the recent actions of the central government confirm that he is being “needlessly and wrongly prosecuted”.
Alleging a trial by the media, Mallya claimed to have received no notice before his passport was suspended and a non-bailable warrant was issued against him.
Unseemly haste in suspending passport even before issuing a showcause notice and issuing a NBW are part of unfair media trial.Vijay Mallya
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