Vijay Mallya's Passport Revoked, Says MEA

New Delhi: Former liquor baron Vijay Mallya's passport has been revoked, says Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday.

"After having considered replies by Vijay Mallya, MEA revokes his passport under Section 10(3)(c) and 10 (3)(h) of Passports Act, 1967," tweeted MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

Earlier, Enforcement Directorate had approached the MEA seeking initiation of deportation proceedings against Mallya in connection with its money laundering probe against him in the Rs 900 crore IDBI alleged loan fraud case.

The ministry is also consulting legal experts on the deportation of Mallya who is facing charges of money laundering and other financial irregularities.

Sources have already indicated that once the deportation proceedings are initiated, the government will seek assistance of the United Kingdom to interdict Mallya and fly him back to India.

The MEA had already suspended Mallya's diplomatic passport and had sought a reply from him as to why his passport should not be revoked as the ED said the businessman was not cooperating in the probe in the said case under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Mallya is understood to be in the UK after he left India on March 2.

A Hyderabad court had on Wednesday convicted Mallya in a cheque-bouncing case filed against him by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

With the latest request for deportation, the ED has virtually deployed all legal measures in place to bring back Mallya to India and make him join investigations "in person", which the agency had stated in a Mumbai court was essential to take the probe forward in the case.

The 60-year-old industrialist has skipped three summons issued by ED in this regard in the past. He had also sought time till May to depose before agency investigators. ED has registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on an FIR registered in 2015 by the CBI.

The agency is not only investigating the financial structure of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines but also looking into any payment of kickbacks to secure loans from IDBI and probing laundering of funds to overseas destinations by the group.

The agency had alleged that Mallya had siphoned off Rs 430 crore of the IDBI loan and used this money to acquire properties abroad, a charge denied by Kingfisher.