Vijay Mallya says 'Met Arun Jaitley before leaving for London'

Fugitive liquor Baron Vijay Mallya on Wednesday confirmed that he met and informed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before "leaving for London" in 2016.

"I happened to meet Mr. Jaitley in Parliament and told him that I am leaving for London... I did not have any formal meetings scheduled with him," Mallya said.

He also said that he had met Jaitley several times and expressed his willingness to settle the bank loans.

"Happened to meet Mr. Jaitley in the Parliament and I told him. I want to settle with the banks and would he please facilitate discussions. I have met him on several occasions and expressed to him my willingness to settle with the banks on many other occasions," he added.

When asked if he had met any other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader before leaving, Mallya said, "Over a period of time, I have met many colleagues in Parliament and expressed to them my desire to settle with the banks. I don't believe I owe you any further details."
"I can confirm to you that nobody tipped me off," and further claimed that there was "no need to run", as "the allegations are media created allegations," Mallya added.

Jaitley, however, denied Mallya's claim and said that he never gave any appointment to the latter since 2014.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, Jaitley said: "The statement (by Vijay Mallya) is factually false in as much as it does not reflect truth. Since 2014, I have never given him any appointment to meet me and the question of his having met me does not arise."
Mallya left India in March 2016 when Jaitley was holding the post of Union Finance Minister.

(ANI)