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I am not an absconder: Vijay Mallya

by IBNS 11 Mar 2016, 07:23 am

Mumbai, Mar 11 (IBNS): Liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Friday said he is not an 'absconder' and being an 'international businessman' he travels to and from India frequently.

He said he did not 'flee' from India.

The liquor baron's whereabouts is still a mystery though several media reported from Hertfordshire near London as his possible place of stay now, according to media reports.

Mallya tweeted: "I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish."

"As an Indian MP I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media," he said.

Attacking the media, the businessman tweeted: "Let media bosses not forget help, favours,accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. Now lies to gain TRP ?"

"News reports that I must declare my assets. Does that mean that Banks did not know my assets or look at my Parliamentary disclosures ?" he asked.

Mallya said: "Once a media witch hunt starts it escalates into a raging fire where truth and facts are burnt to ashes."

The Indian Parliament was rocked on Thursday over how he could leave India with the Opposition and the ruling BJP sparring over Mallya. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also outside the House attacked the BJP asking how could Mallya leave India.

A consortium of banks, led by the State Bank of India, had filed a petition with the Supreme Court that Mallya's passport be impounded and he should not be allowed to leave the country. They feared that he may fly to London to avoid his lenders, according to reports.

The SC issued a notice to Mallya on Wednesday and asked him to reply within two weeks why his passport should not be impounded.

Meanwhile, the Debt Recovery Tribunal has also barred Mallya from accessing the Rs 515 crore severance pay he is to receive from Diageo for stepping down as the chariman of the UB Group.

On charges of defaulting on loan, the Karnataka High Court had recently issued a notice to the liquor baron  on a petition filed by State Bank of India (SBI) and 17 other banks seeking his arrest.

The SC bench issued the notice to Kingfisher Airlines through Mallya and United Breweries and allowed the banks to serve a notice on him electronically on his official email id as Rajya Sabha MP. The court also let the banks serve notice on the Airlines and Mallya through his lawyers, according to reports.

In June 2015, an SC bench while giving a detailed timeline and payment schedule to be followed by the Sahara group for the release of their chief, Subrata Roy from Tihar Jail, . had ruled that Roy could not leave the country till the full payment was made.

Roy and two other jailed directors were asked to deposit their passport with the court and not leave the country without its prior permission, the media had reported.