
Vijay Mallya's extradition stalled due to 'confidential legal issue': India
New Delhi/IBNS: Fugitive Indian businessman Vijay Mallya's extradition to India is being stalled due to "confidential legal issue", the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
"We've been told that there's a confidential legal issue which needs addressing, following which Vijay Mallya can be extradited to India. No particular timeline has been indicated to us and we continue to take up this issue with UK authorities," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Mallaya is wanted in India after his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines was accused of committing fraud and laundering nearly Rs. 9,000 crore, which he took in loans from different PSU banks, with no intention to return.
The 64-year-old's extradition was ordered by a British court in May but has been delayed by "secret proceedings" initiated in the country.
Mallya had earlier exhausted all legal options to evade extradition and was denied permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court against a High Court order that upheld a 2018 order to extradite him to India to face charges of fraud.