Vijay Mallya not to appear before ED tomorrow; seeks time till May

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: A day before the liquor baron Vijay Mallya was to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the money laundering probe, the beleaguered businessman sought time till May to depose before the agency.

ED sources said that they are yet to take a decision on his plea but confirmed that Mallya is not appearing before them on April 2. ED sources also said that they might consider giving few more weeks to Mallya after studying his replies.

However, they did not rule out further legal action that includes issue of non bailable warrant or revocation of the passport.

Mallya has been holding talks with bank officials through video conferencing to which he owes Rs 7000 crore. ED has first asked Mallya to be present before them on March 18. However, Mallya, who left the country on March 2, sought more time after which the agency decided to extend the deadline till April 2.

Under section 50 of the PMLA act, summons is issued for production of documents or to ensure attendance of a person.

The summons can be replied either through an authorised representative or through personal appearance.

Top ED sources also said that there is no provision under the money laundering law that allows a suspect to appear through video conferencing in reply to a summon.