Not attempting plea bargain: Vijay Mallya rubbishes allegations by Enforcement Directorate official

NEW DELHI: Liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Saturday rubbished allegations that he was attempting a plea bargain. There have been reports which quoted an Enforcement Directorate (ED) official saying that Mallya was attempting a plea bargain. "Media reports quote an ED official stating that I am attempting a plea bargain. Would respectfully suggest that the official read the ED charge sheet first. I would invite the ED to advance the same plea bargain theory in Court in front of whom I have placed my assets," he said in a tweet on Saturday.

As per a media report, an ED official had dismissed the former's offer to settle all dues if his seized assets were freed up as "an attempt at plea bargaining and a bid to bolster his case against extradition to India from Britain."

The official had also reportedly claimed that the ED had not received any copy of the affidavit filed by Mallya and United Breweries Holdings before the Karnataka High Court last week, contrary to the businessman's claims.

Mallya had earlier broken his silence over the controversy surrounding him of defaulting on bank loans to the tune of Rs 9000 crore. The liquor baron in a series of tweets claimed that he had been falsely framed as the "poster boy of Bank default and a lightning rod of public anger".

He also reiterated that he is making every effort, in good faith to settle dues with the banks, but if politically-motivated factors interfere, there is nothing he can do.

The 62-year-old is facing a trial in a UK Court to rule if he can be extradited to India to face charges for financial irregularities involving a total amount of Rs 9,000 crore, as well as money laundering cases.