In a significant action against fugitive liquor baron and founder of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said that it has attached his assets to the tune of 1.6 million euros in France.
An ED official said here that on the request of the financial probe agency, a property of Mallya located at 32 Avenue FOCH, France, has been seized by the French authorities. The official said the value of the seized asset in France is 1.6 million euros or Rs 14 crore.
He further said that during the money laundering probe against Mallya, it was found that a large amount was remitted abroad from the bank account of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd (KAL).
The investigating agency sent a request to the foreign authority through the diplomatic channel to attach the foreign properties of the accused wanted in India. Acting on the request of the Indian investigative agencies, the authorities there attached the property.
The ED had registered a case of money laundering based on an FIR registered by the CBI against Kingfisher Airlines Ltd (KAL), Mallya and others on January 25, 2016. The financial probe agency has so far attached assets to the tune of Rs 11,231.70 crore of Mallya, which has also been confirmed by the adjudicating authority.
The ED has also filed a chargesheet against Mallya, United Breweries Holdings Ltd (UBHL), KAL, bank officials and others.
The liquor baron has been living in the UK since he fled India on March 2, 2016.
Mallya is the first accused in India to be booked under the new Fugitive Economic Offenders Act. In 2019, a Mumbai court named Mallya as an offender under the Act, empowering the probe agencies to seize his properties and assets spread across the world.
Mallya is facing charges of loan default to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. He had lost his appeal in UK`s top court on May 14 against his extradition to India.
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