Vijay Mallya says wrote to PM in April 2016, is ‘tired of govt’s relentless pursuit’ of him

Fugitive Indian businessman Vijay Mallya on Tuesday said he had written to the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister in April 2016 to explain allegations of defaulting on bank loans, but didn’t receive a response and was tired of the government’s “relentless pursuit” of him.

Mallya released a five-page statement on Twitter, saying he was breaking his two-year long silence to state his “factual position in response to the controversy unfortunately surrounding” him.

“I have become the “Poster Boy” of bank default and a lightning rod of public anger,” said Mallya. ”I have been accused by politicians and the media alike of having stolen and run away with Rs 9,000 crores that was loaned to Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). Some of the lending Banks have also labelled me a wilful defaulter”.

“Recovery of loans is a civil matter which has been criminalised in my case,” said Mallya, who is living in the UK. “I am tired of this relentless pursuit of me by the government and its criminal agencies. All my efforts are either ignored or misunderstood,” he said in the statement.

Mallya said he has requested court permission to allow sale of his assets under judicial supervision so that he can repay creditors, including state-owned banks.

Mallya is contesting money laundering charges in London as part of India’s efforts to extradite him from there and face the legal system here in connection with an overall alleged loan default of over Rs 9,000 crore of various banks.

Last Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) moved a court against Mallya seeking to declare him a ‘fugitive offender’ and to confiscate his assets worth Rs 12,500 crore, under the recently promulgated Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance that empowers the government to confiscate all assets of an absconding loan defaulter.

-- With PTI inputs