Liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday, has reportedly sought time till April to appear before the agency. While not giving any indication till Thursday if he will keep the date with the agency, Mallya took to Twitter to retweet posts about his Indian Premier League team player Chris Gayle's World T20 knock and the upcoming Australian Formula One Grand Prix that will see his Force India team participate.
Mallya had left India March 2, hours before a consortium of banks had moved court over his default on Rs 9,000 crore loan. Following allegations he had fled the country to escape prosecution, Mallya took to Twitter to clarify he was "not an absconder."
The ED summoned Mallya March 18 and is reportedly mulling "legal action" against him if he fails to appear or provide a valid reason for his absence, according to the Press Trust of India. Mallya has now sought time till early April to appear before ED, according to ANI news agency. The ED has filed charges against Mallya under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Meanwhile, the Bengaluru-based industrialist has been active on Twitter, retweeting posts on Force India as well as on Gayle's century against England Wednesday in the ongoing World T20 tournament in India. Gayle is part of Mallya's Royal Challengers Bangalore T20 team. Mallya's co-owned Force India Formula One team is set to compete in the Australian Grand Prix Sunday, and the industrialist is known to attend the races regularly. It is not clear if Mallya will make an appearance at the Formula One race.
