Troubles mount for Mallya after he fails to appear before court

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate is expected to initiate a fresh action of attachment of assets against liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who on Friday skipped appearance before a Prevention of Money Laundering Act court here, in an alleged bank loan fraud case.

Vijay Mallya. PTI file photo

Mumbai, July 29

The Enforcement Directorate is expected to initiate a fresh action of attachment of assets against liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who on Friday skipped appearance before a Prevention of Money Laundering Act court here, in an alleged bank loan fraud case.

The court, last month, had issued a proclamation order against Mallya asking him to appear before it at 11 am today after saying he had “absconded” and was “concealing” himself to avoid arrest.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also published in leading dailies the court-issued proclamation against Mallya for appearance before the special PMLA court.

Official sources said the agency will now proceed under relevant sections of the CrPC and further attach Mallya’s assets even as the court is expected to declare him a proclaimed offender.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court upheld a trial court order summoning Mallya as an accused in several cheque-bounce cases filed against him by Delhi airport operator DIAL, saying being in charge of the company he was “equally liable to be prosecuted”.

Justice P S Teji refused to quash the summons issued to Mallya and said “the trial court order cannot be termed as unsustainable or illegal or abuse to the process of law and no ground is made out to set aside the same.”

“It is not in dispute that the cheques in question were issued by the said company and he being its chairman and managing director was responsible for the conduct of business of the company.

Mallya’s counsel had earlier told the high court that his client was not involved in day-to-day affairs of Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) and he cannot be held liable in these cases filed against him by DIAL.

The trial court had summoned Mallya as accused following a complaint by Delhi International Airport Ltd, which operates the capital’s IGI Airport and had claimed that a cheque for Rs one crore issued by KFA on February 22, 2012, was returned to them a month later containing remarks “fund insufficient”. — PTI