BHUBANESWAR: Liquor baron Vijay Mallya managed to flee as a secret advice of a senior counsel of Supreme Court to the State Bank of India on approaching the apex court to restrain him from leaving the
country possibly leaked to him, revealed Kingshuk Nag, author of 'Kingfizzer: The Rise and Fall of Vijay Mallya'.
The book, which outlines the chain of events before Mallya decamped on March 1 last year on a diplomatic passport, was released by Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Editor of Sambad, a vernacular daily, here on Wednesday evening.
Less than a week before he fled the country Mallya had got a huge severance package from United Spirits Limited in lieu of relinquishing the chairmanship of the company. But instead of using the amount to square bank dues he transferred it to a trust abroad which was held by his children, Nag mentioned in his book.
“In fact, Mallya, who owes around Rs 9,000 crore to banks, was busy negotiating for a new business abroad even as the financial institutions were finding it hard to get back money. In January 2016, he
was in Barbados in the West Indies to buy a cricket team for the Caribbean T20 cricket league. He met the Barbados Prime Minister and won the Barbados Tridents which he claimed to have procured for a mere $US 100,” the author said.
Though a lookout notice was issued by CBI to the Bureau of Immigrations on October 16, 2015, which would have led to Mallya’s detention the moment he arrives at immigration counter, Nag told, it was
amended a month later and incidentally he arrived in India from an overseas trip a few hours after the notice was amended.
The book argues had the Government agencies acted earlier with the same zeal as they are showing now, Mallya could have been brought to justice and he could not have escaped the dragon net of law. But the banks whom he owed money dilly dallied and did not register any complaint against him and his companies with the investigating agencies, which delayed the process of law, it stated.
The book, which traces the history of Mallya empire, also explores his personality and psyche to figure out his penchant for the high life that included wine, women and wealth across the globe.
Nag has authored many bestsellers including The Namo Story (a biography on Narendra Modi) and Netaji: Living Dangerously. Among others, noted writer and former VC of Revenshaw University Devdas
Chhotray also spoke. The book’s national launch will be held at Bengaluru shortly.