Vijay Mallya’s team gets ready for counter-arguments

TIL Desk/Business/London/ Liquor baron Vijay Mallya, wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore, will return to court in London on Tuesday on day two of his extradition trial during which his defence team will begin laying out its counter-arguments against the case.

The 61-year-old will be back in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for his defence, headed by barrister Clare Montgomery, to present its opening arguments followed by the witness statement of aviation expert Dr Humphreys.

On the opening day of the trial, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian government, had asserted that the embattled liquor baron had a “case of fraud” to answer.

The prosecution had laid out what it termed as “three chapters of dishonesty” by the former Kingfisher Airlines boss – the first being misrepresentations to various banks to acquire loans, then how he misused the money and finally his conduct after the banks recalled the loans.

“Instead of acting as an honest person and doing what he could to meet his obligations, he sets about erecting lines of defence,” said CPS barrister Mark Summers. The charge of money laundering, for which Mallya had been re-arrested in October, is being focussed on by CPS less at this stage.