Another setback for Vijay Mallya; ED seeks his passport to be revoked

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: In what could give another setback to beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday approached the passport office to revoke his passport.

Officials said the agency has written to the Ministry of External Affairs to take action under the Passport Act, 1967 and ask the Regional Passport Office (RPO) here to revoke the diplomatic passport of the beleaguered businessman as he has turned out to be "un-cooperative" with its investigators probing a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at its zonal office in Mumbai.

The liqour baron, who has been summoned thrice in the past, has failed to appear before the ED, following which the enforcement agency is believed to have contemplated this step.

Mallya has failed to appear before it despite being summoned in connection with a money laundering probe in the over Rs 900 crore IDBI loan fraud case.

Mallya, who is facing legal proceedings for alleged default of loans worth over Rs 9,000 crore from various banks, was also directed by the apex court to disclose all assets owned by him and his family in India and abroad by April 21.

He is reported to be in the UK after he left India on March 2.

ED has registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on an FIR registered last year by the CBI.

The agency is also investigating financial structure of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines and looking into any payment of kickbacks to secure loans.

With Agency Inputs