London [U.K.], Apr. 18 : Following his arrest and subsequent bail here, absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya downplayed the entire development saying that his surrender of passport, arrest and bail are all part of normal extradition proceedings.
Mallya had earlier taken a swipe at the media, accusing it of 'hyping' his arrest and blowing things out of proportion.
Meanwhile, making it clear that the extradition process of Vijay Mallya is more complicated because the evidences collected by New Delhi against the beleaguered liquor baron will be accessed by the British Court on the basis of their law, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said the moot question that arises here as to why this should be done on the basis of foreign law when the fugitive will ultimately be tried in India.
"But we should not be very joyful by this first step for the simple reason that the further procedure and the process of extradition is more complicated because whatever the evidences which we have collected against the criminal fugitive that will be accessed by the British Court on the basis of their law.
If British Court found that the evidences collected by the Indian investigator prima facie is evidence on the basis of English law," he said.
Nikam told ANI that India has with Mallya's arrest indeed crossed the first hurdle in the extradition process.
"Ultimately the criminal fugitive Vijay Mallya will be tried in India and then the evidence collected by the investigator should be accessed on the basis of Indian law but why on the basis of foreign law.
This is the moot question," he added. Mallya, accused of defaulting on loans worth crores, was today arrested by the Scotland Yard in London in what the government counted as a major win in its attempts to bring him to India to face trial.
However, Mallya was let off on bail within hours of his arrest. Also, asserting that the legal process is underway over the extradition of Mallya, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated that both India and the British Government are in touch over the matter.
"Responding to a query regarding Shri Vijay Mallya, the Official Spokesperson said that his arrest in London today was in connection with the request by the Government to U.K.
authorities for his extradition. Legal process in this regard is underway in the U.K. The two governments are in touch in this context," the MEA said in a statement. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Indian High Commission will start the process of Mallya's extradition, Government sources state.
India needs to set precedent and Mallya's extradition is one such case, also those defaulters who think that their money are safe in tax heavens are on wrong foot, sources added.
Source: ANI
