Liquor baron and owner of defunct carrier Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya on Sunday claimed that he is making efforts to reach a one-time settlement with banks.
In a late night statement, the 'king of good times' (Mallya) said, "Legal proceedings apart, I have been making efforts to reach a one-time settlement with the Banks, and to that end I have had three meetings and follow up calls in the recent past and my efforts will continue. This settlement would be based on additional payments to the banks."
"All the enquiries conducted have failed to find any evidence of misappropriation of funds by Kingfisher Airlines or myself – for the simple reason that the allegations and the innuendo to this effect are plainly false," he added.
He further said, "I have been most pained as being painted as an absconder. I have neither the intention nor any reason to abscond. I have been a non resident for almost 28 years and the Reserve Bank of India has acknowledged this in writing. Over the years, I have built successful businesses in India and abroad. I am also honoured to be a member of the Rajya Sabha."
While attacking the media, he said, "The past few days I have witnessed a near hysterical campaign in the media directed against me. Recognising that the media was indulging in sensationalism, I thought it was best to let the drama play out – never spoil a sensational story with the truth. However, I feel that the time has come to clarify my position in order to avoid this relentless attack on my reputation."
Mallya's statement came after State Bank of India (SBI) moved the Karnataka high court seeking his arrest.
The Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) in Bengaluru also sought the same directives against Mallya.
The DRT on Monday will pass orders on SBI's application seeking the lenders' first right on the USD 75-million payout from Diageo to UB Group promoter Mallya under a recent sweetheart deal.
In November 2015, SBI declared Mallya a wilful defaulter for not repaying loans advanced to his Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, which was grounded in 2012 weighed down by Rs7,000 crore of debt.
(With inputs from agencies)
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