Silverstone: In what has come as a major snub for Indian authorities who have been trying tooth and nail to get their hands on him, Vijay Mallya, head of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines and an accused in a bank loan fraud case in India, today made a public appearance in the United Kingdom to attend the team bosses’ press conference ahead of the Formula 1 British Grand.
“Sadly, I am currently unable to travel, that has to go through due legal process,” said Mallya.
Mallya, who fled to the UK in March this year as banks and courts upped the ante against him, has been declared a 'proclaimed offender' by a special court in a money laundering case back home.
Mallya’s diplomatic passport has been suspended and there are lookout notices against him. However, he has managed to cock a snook at Indian authorities and has ignored repeated summons issued to him by investigating agencies to appear before them for probe.
Creditors in India have been trying to recover dues of Rs 9,000 crore owed by his long-grounded Kingfisher Airlines.
Mallya’s appearance at Formula One is the first this season for the Force India boss. He was present alongside fellow team principals Maurizio Arrivabene (Ferrari), Eric Boullier (McLaren), Dave Ryan (Manor), Claire Williams (Williams) and Toto Wolff (Mercedes).
Mallya's last public appearance last month had sent social media into a frenzy. He was spotted at a book launch event at the London School of Economics this week that was also attended by Indian high commissioner Navtej Sarna, causing flutters back home.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also got into the act when it issued a statement, saying Sarna left the event without waiting for the interactive session after he spotted Mallya.
"When the high commissioner spotted Mallya in the audience he left the stage and venue immediately after making his comments and without waiting for the interactive session," the MEA had said in the statement.
The liquor baron is going through tough times but his team Force India has had a successful season so far. Sergio Perez's third place finish in Monaco and Baku helped the team record two podiums in a season for the first time.
Force India, which had a forgettable last race in Austria, remain in the fifth place with 59 points are aiming to catch up Williams, who are fourth with 92 points.
The British Grand Prix is considered a home race for Force India, whose factory is a stone's throw away from the circuit.
(With inputs from PTI)
