Vijay Mallya appears in UK court for pre-trial extradition hearing, says 'done nothing wrong'

Vijay Mallya is out on bail on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard.

London: Vijay Mallya on Monday appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in London for his pre-trial hearing where the liquor baron's extradition hearing was confirmed for eight days starting December 4.

The 61-year-old businessman, out on bail on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard earlier this year, was released by the judge on the same bail conditions and asked to appear at court on December 4.

The trial will last until December 14, with December 8 marked as a non-sitting day.

Speaking to reporters as he left today's case management hearing, Mallya said he has repeatedly stressed that he has done nothing wrong and will let the evidence speak in court.

"It will all become clear in court," he added.

#WATCH Vijay Mallya says, 'we all very diligently come to Court' after appearing in London's Westminster Court today. pic.twitter.com/JJRlmA2cOQ

— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2017

The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is arguing the case against Mallya on behalf of the Indian authorities, had presented additional "supplemental" charges of money laundering to the previous charges of fraud at the last hearing in the case on October 3.

The previous fraud charges relate to Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owing more than Rs 9,000 crore to various Indian banks.

The UB Group chief has been on a self-imposed exile in the UK since he fled India on March 2, 2016.

India and the UK have an Extradition Treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place from the UK to India under the arrangement Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was sent back to India last October to face trial in connection with his involvement in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

Judge Arbuthnot and her colleague, Rebecca Crane, at Westminster Magistrates' court have rejected two other long-pending extradition requests from India recently, that of UK- based alleged bookie Sanjeev Kumar Chawla on October 16 and a British Indian couple, Jatinder and Asha Rani Angurala, on October 12, relating to bank fraud.

The case against Chawla, the key accused in the cricket match-fixing scandal involving former South African captain Hanse Cronje in 2000, was discharged on human rights grounds over severe conditions in Delhi's Tihar Jail where he was to be held after being extradited.

The Anguralas were discharged on grounds of over 25 years have passed.

(With ANI and PTI inputs)