Vijay Mallya appeal moves forward as Nirav Modi set for UK court hearing

The stage is set for a busy period of Indian extradition-related activity in the UK courts as liquor baron Vijay Mallya's High Court appeal moves forward for a judge's verdict on paperwork and fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi returns to Westminster Magistrates' Court in London for a second bail hearing on Friday, March 29.

"All the papers have been received and are now awaiting allocation to a single judge who will decide, on the basis of those papers, if permission is given to go to a full hearing," said a spokesperson for the UK judiciary, in reference to Mallya's application seeking an appeal against his extradition ordered by the magistrates' court and then signed off by UK home secretary Sajid Javid last month. 

While there is no set timescale for the judge to pronounce a decision on whether Mallya will be granted an appeal in the UK High Court, a decision is likely within the next few weeks.

READ: In Pictures: Nirav Modi’s Full Painting Collection That Fetched Rs 55 Crore At The Tax Dept's Auction In Mumbai

The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, wanted in India on alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to about Rs 9,000 crore, took to social media yet again to claim unfair treatment in the context of struggling Indian airlines Jet Airways being thrown a lifeline by public sector banks.

In her ruling at the end of his extradition trial in December last year, Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot had concluded that Mallya has a case to answer in the Indian courts over substantial "misrepresentations" of his financial dealings.

"There is clear evidence of dispersal and misapplication of the loan funds and I find a prima facie case that Dr. Mallya was involved in a conspiracy to launder money," she noted.

Now, the same judge is expected to preside over the next major Indian extradition trial to come before the Westminster Magistrates' Court, that of diamantaire Modi wanted for alleged "high value and sophisticated" fraud and money laundering amounting to USD 2 billion.

"He is expected to be produced before the court for a second bail application hearing on March 29," a court official said.

Meanwhile, the 48-year-old has been lodged in HMP Wandsworth prison in south-west London since last Wednesday, March 27, when a judge had declined his request for bail on the grounds that he posed a flight risk.

Describing him as the "opposite of a flight risk" during the first bail application hearing last week, Modi's defence team had offered 500,000 pounds as security and also submitted to any stringent conditions that may be imposed upon their client. 

It remains to be seen how they would further bolster that offer in order to convince the judge to grant bail during the second hearing, following which the case will proceed to a series of case management hearings and setting of a trial date.

Modi was arrested by the Scotland Yard officers from a bank in central London as he attempted to open a new bank account on March 19.