Vijay Mallya says he met Arun Jaitley before leaving India; FM denies

Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya said Wednesday he met the Finance Minister before leaving India. The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airline boss, who arrived to appear before the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, told reporters that he had met the minister and offered to settle the issue with the banks.

"I left India because I had a scheduled meeting in Geneva. Before leaving I met the finance minister and offered to settle (the issue with the banks), Mallya said, without naming the minister.

Arun Jaitley was the Finance Minister in 2016 when Mallya left India. 

Meanwhile, the finance minister has denied to have given him any appointment.

On liquor baron's claim he met Jaitley before leaving country, Congress asked the government to explain how Vijay Mallya was allowed to leave India. "Government must reveal details of Mallya's meetings with FM Jaitley," the main opposition party said, adding "Mallya's comment he met Jaitley confirms our assertion that govt was fully complicit in flight of people like him and others."

Earlier, Vijay Mallya arrived at a London court today for a hearing in his extradition case, during which the judge is expected to review a video of the Mumbai jail cell prepared by the Indian authorities for the embattled liquor tycoon.

The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airline boss reached at the Westminster Magistrates' Court at around 2 pm IST.

Mallya, who has been on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, responded to the swarm of reporters gathered outside the court in his characteristic manner, saying the "courts will decide".

"As far as I am concerned, I have made a comprehensive settlement offer before the Karnataka High Court. I hope the honourable judges will consider it favourably; everybody gets paid off and I guess that's the primary objective," said Mallya, who is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores. 

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At the previous hearing in July in the Westminster Magistrates' Court in, Judge Emma Arbuthnot had asked the Indian authorities to submit a "step by step video" of the Barrack 12 of Arthur Road Jail for "the avoidance of doubt" over the availability of natural light in the cell where the businessman is expected to be detained pre-trial, during trial and in the event he is convicted by the Indian courts.