Vijay Mallya tweeted on Friday blaming the media trail for his woes, which caused his officials face the heat with the Enforcement Directorate.
The Supreme Court has asked the business tycoon to appear before or on March 18. Meanwhile, Mallya’s lawyers has informed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that he will return to India by the month-end.
Mallya tweeted without disclosing his location: “I am an international businessman. I travel to and from India frequently. I did not flee from India and neither am I an absconder. Rubbish.”
The investigating agencies are trying to establish if there is any connivance between bankers and Mallya as the loans they allege were not sufficiently backed by collateral. Bankers from IDBI Bank are also expected to be questioned as to why sanctions were approved for the airline when the company had a negative net worth in 2009. It was the same year Mallya emerged as a surprise bidder spending $1.8 million to buy Mahatma Gandhi’s personal belongings at an auction in New York.
In another tweet, he said: “As an Indian MP, I fully respect and will comply with the law of the land. Our judicial system is sound and respected. But no trial by media.” In a veiled threat to the media, he added: “Let media bosses not forget help, favours, accommodation that I have provided over several years which are documented. “
