New Delhi: Assets worth ₹ 9,371 crore belonging to fugitive businessmen Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi have been transferred by the Enforcement Directorate to state-run banks that will help them recover losses on account of the fraud.
Here’s your 10 point cheat sheet to the story:
- So far, the agency has seized assets worth ₹ 18,170.02 crore, which include assets worth of ₹ 969 crore located in foreign countries. The value of those assets represents 80.45% of the total bank loss.
- “As on date, out of the total seized assets of ₹ 18,170.02 crore, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), assets worth of ₹ 329.67 crore were confiscated and assets worth ₹ 9041.5 crore, representing 40 per cent of the total loss to the bank have been handed over to the Public Sector banks,” the Enforcement Directorate said today.
- Citing the move, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in a tweet, said, “Fugitives & economic offenders will be actively pursued; their properties attached & dues recovered.”
- Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi – all facing extradition trials – have defrauded Public Sector Banks by siphoning off the funds through their companies which resulted in total loss of ₹ 22,585.83 crore to the banks.
- After the CBI FIR in the matter, the Enforcement Directorate unearthed a web of domestic and international transactions and stashing of assets abroad linked to the borrowed money.
- Investigation has also proved, says the ED, that these three accused persons used proxies, or dummies, for rotation and siphoning off the funds provided by the banks.
- Upon completion of the probe in the money laundering case, extradition requests were sent for these three persons to the UK and Antigua and Barbuda.
- The extradition of Vijay Mallya has been ordered by the Westminster Magistrates Court and confirmed by the UK High Court. Since, Vijay Mallya has been denied permission to file appeal in the UK Supreme Court, his extradition to India has become final.
- The Westminster Magistrates Court has ordered extradition of Nirav Modi to India. He has been in a London jail for the past two years on the basis of an extradition request by India.
- Recently, the ED has transferred shares attached by it (worth of ₹ 6,600 crore approx) to SBI-led consortium as per order of PMLA Special Court, Mumbai. Debt Recovery Tribunal, on behalf of the consortium of banks, has sold the shares for over ₹ 5,800 crore. The transferred attached assets also include real estate properties and other movable assets of the fugitives.
