Mallya’s settlement offer an attempt to buy time?

Earlier on March 18, the ED had issued a fresh summons to Mallya asking his personal appearance before its investigating officer on April 2. The businessman did not appear before the ED in response to his first summons by requesting that the date of his questioning be put off to April. 

Sources in ED told Millennium Post that he has two more days to appear, however, given the nature of his proposal it seems he might skip this date as well. “ED case has nothing to do with the case pending before the Supreme Court. The agency will wait till April 2,” said the official. The official further said that Mallya has a history of abusing the law by playing such tactics. Earlier in 2015, Mallya was indicted by the Apex Court for alleged non-compliance of the ED’s summons under the now-repealed FERA.

As per allegations of FERA authorities, an agreement dated December 1, 1995 had been entered into by Vijay Mallaya with Flavio Briatore of M/s Benetton Formula Ltd, London. In connection with that issue, the ED had required Mallya’s presence on various dates in 1999. However, Mallya deliberately failed to comply with the summons on some pretext or the other. 

It was also alleged that summons dated December 21, 1999 was issued in connection with the impending investigation for appearance of the petitioner on January 1, 2000 but it was returned back by the postal authorities with the remarks “refused”.