The much-awaited extradition hearing of liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya is set to kick off in central London in a few minutes from now. Over the next ten days, Chief Magistrate at Westminster Magistrate’s Court Emma Arbuthnot will hear the case presented by Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service on behalf of the Indian government, and the defence on which Mr. Mallya will hope to thwart efforts to return him to India to face prosecution.
Mark Summers QC, a specialist in extradition law will lead the case for the prosecution, while Clare Montgomery QC will lead the defence. Witnesses include Margaret Sweeney, the chief accountant at Force India F1 Team, Dr. Humphreys, an aviation expert, Professor Lau, a legal expert, and Dr. Alan Mitchell, who has previously given evidence in other extradition cases.
Vijay Mallya was arrested in London in April this year initially on fraud charges, with money laundering charges added subsequently. He has been on bail since April.