It was just a couple of years, all his fortunes dipped down in turmoil, now, the cops are after him. With country’s apex court slamming the big shot with various cases, other prominent banks are acquiring his properties and selling them off through auctioning.
United Spirits’ chairman and India’s one of the leading businessman Vijay Mallya is now stuck in various legal debt cases. Post his company faced severe losses in its subsidiary Kingfisher Airlines, fate has something different to offer. Mallya has already faced extreme outrage from various corners of the Government authorities.
Mallya, now, fighting a high-profile Indian extradition request, speaks instead of ‘enjoying the fruits’ of his labors on track and planning high-flying Force India’s next decade. He is also, despite the court appearances and travel restrictions, still living the good life, enjoying a summer of sport. Well, being extremely rich has this kind of side effects.
In a recent Horse racing event conducted at Royal Ascot, London, Mallya has been on his social diary, along with the Wednesday’s Formula One. The media sources at the British Grand Prix questioned him if he’s missing India, the then successful businessman to this responded: “There’s nothing to miss.”
Mallya added:
“All my immediate family is either in England or the US. Nobody in India at all. As far as my step-siblings are concerned, they are all UK citizens. So there’s nothing family-wise to miss.”
As of now, Indian authorities are seeking over $1.4 billion+ from Mallya, he owes as a result of loans tied to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Mallya has been dismissing the charges against him from the very beginning.
“This witch hunt against me has been going on for a while, so it isn’t as if I have any emotional ups and downs. I have done absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, I am glad that it is finally before a UK court and an impartial court. So we wait and see how it plays out,” said Mallya who considers the UK as his second home.
Talking about his life there, he said, “I enjoy this atmosphere … I enjoy meeting all the guests and sponsors and walking around the paddock. But while I enjoy it, there’s no novelty value anymore,” he said. “I’ve been there and done it, when I first started I went to every single race to the point where it was getting a bit exhausting, going to 20 races in a year. So it’s not as if I’m missing something.”
He then added: “If you look at my role in the team, there’s nothing for me to miss. I am participating in all the decision making and I’ve got a virtual pit wall at home. I miss being around but I’m also happy in my space. My time will come and I’ll go back to the tracks.”
Earlier, this 61-Year-Old then ‘King of Good Times’ took over the failing Jordan team a decade ago and renamed it Force India as a measure of his pride in setting up India’s first Formula One entry.
“Things have changed. Force India is getting very limited in terms of potential. The Indian Grand Prix is gone, sadly. There are no Indian sponsors who’ve come to the table. They seem to be spending all their money on cricket, and I need, for the continuing financial stability of this team, to reach out to more international sponsors. We have to think about positioning the team for the next 10 years,” said Mallya.
However, when it is about his arrival to India, let us see what will happen in future, the full extradition hearing has been provisionally listed to start on December 4 and to last two weeks.