NEW DELHI : In addition to enhancing counter-terror cooperation between India and the United Kingdom, India today sought for the extradition of fugitive business tycoon Vijay Mallya.
The issues were raised prominently during the meeting of the two countries’ Home Secretaries Rajiv Mehrishi and his British counterpart Patsy Wilkinson, official sources said here.
The Government of India also took up the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty at the deliberations, it is learnt. Both the countries do not have any extradition treaty between them till now.
Amid strong demand to bring the alleged loan defaulter Mallya to justice, the Central Government had earlier given a formal extradition request for Mallya in February this year. Significantly enough, Mr Mallya was arrested by Scotland Yard but was granted bail by the Westminster court and the extradition process has been kept on since then.
The spokesman for Ministry of External Affairs Gopal Baglay also said yesterday that the “process” was on and as per the UK law, Mallya was granted bail and his case would be coming in the court yet again later this month.
Among other topics discussed at the meeting between Union Home Secretary Mr Mehrishi and his counterpart was on the strengthening of the intelligence sharing mechanism.
Meanwhile, sources said two official agencies pursuing the probe in Mallya case, the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI are expected to share evidence with UK’s official agencies.
According to sources, normal internationally accepted norms for extradition would mean that a crime or a series of crime or offence done by the accused should fall in the category of ‘dual criminality’. This means that it should be a ‘punishable’ offence according to the laws of both countries — the one where the accused actually belongs to and the other where he or she has taken refuge. (AGENCIES)
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