UK COURT ORDERS EXTRADITION OF MALLYA...Bars await `bejewelled playboy'

AMIT ROY, TT, 11 Dec 2018, London: When the judgment in the Vijay Mallya case came after a two-hour delay at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot got straight to the point: "I am ordering extradition -- I am referring the matter to the home secretary." Arbuthnot was thorough, including the way in which she described the 62-year-old Mallya. Bankers had been "charmed" by a "glamorous, flashy, famous, bejewelled, bodyguarded, ostensibly billionaire playboy" into losing their common sense, she said.

Provided UK home secretary Sajid Javid agrees, Mallya can be extradited to India once the appeals process is exhausted to face bank fraud and moneylaundering charges involving Rs 9,000 crore. The judgment was so well-argued Mallya leaves after his extradition hearing on Monday. (Reuters) and devastating that some lawyers felt the chances of a successful appeal are limited. (See Page 6) Arbuthnot concluded that "a spell in custody is likely to help him cut down on alcohol. A regular exercise routine will need to be worked out by his doctors to keep him healthy".

The following are some of the key conclusions in the judgment: Mallya is not being prosecuted in India for his political opinions. The court found a prima facie case of conspiracy to defraud, involving executives of Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines and IDBI officials. Mallya had misrepresented how loans received from banks would be used. It appeared that the banks were deliberately misled about the fortunes of Kingfisher Airlines. There is clear evidence of dispersal and misapplication of the loan funds and the judge found a prima facie case that Mallya was involved in a conspiracy to launder money.