Mumbai court issues Letter Rogatory to UK in PMLA case against Vijay Mallya

MUMBAI: A special court here today issued a Letter Rogatory to the UK seeking legal assistance in connection with a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate against businessman Vijay Mallya, who has been declared a proclaimed offender.

"Issue LR to a competent authority in United Kingdom to examine facts and circumstances of the case," special judge P R Bhavke said in his order.

The ED had moved the special court recently seeking issuance of LR to secure details about Mallya's assets.

An ED official said, "We want details of the assets possessed by Mallya and hence we prayed to the court to issue LR."

In November last year, the special court had declared Mallya a proclaimed offender and directed the ED to attach his movable properties, which were listed by the agency in its application.

ED wanted Mallya to join the investigation "in person" in connection with probe under the PMLA, and in cases related to a Rs 900 crore loan from IDBI Bank. The anti-money laundering probe agency said it had exhausted other legal remedies like seeking Interpol arrest warrant and getting his passport revoked.

Mallya, whose defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes more than Rs 9,000 crore to various banks, had left India on March 2 last year.