I had informed Arun Jaitley before leaving… I am not a thief: Vijay Mallya

#News Bureau June 6,2025

Vijay Mallya has said that he met the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving India. He claimed himself to be innocent and said, “I am not a thief.” Know what else he has claimed.

Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya has claimed that the Indian government has recovered Rs 14,100 crore from him, while his actual liability was much less than this, only ₹ 6,203 crore. Vijay Mallya recently appeared in a YouTube podcast, in which he made many important statements during a conversation with Raj Shamani. This was the first time in 9 years that he spoke publicly in such detail. Mallya made many revelations in this conversation.

Mallya gave his clarification in the podcast, saying, “If you want to call me a fugitive, then say so, but why a thief? I did not steal anything. I tried my best to save Kingfisher Airlines. All my assets were seized and the banks have recovered much more than my loan.

Mallya further clarified his statement and said that his intention was never to sink the banks’ money. He also apologized to his employees, who could not get salary and dues after the closure of Kingfisher. Mallya became emotional and said, “I have a lot of sympathy for my employees. My intention was never to harm them. I wanted Kingfisher to fly, but circumstances turned against me.” Vijay Mallya has also claimed that before leaving India for London for the last time, he met Modi government’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Before leaving, he had told the then Finance Minister that I am returning after my meeting in Geneva. As soon as he came out, as soon as the media got the news, there was an uproar. He said that when I was in London, the Indian government confiscated my passport, so how could I return to India. In this podcast, Mallya also told that he always tried to repay his debts. He said, I proposed to the banks many times that I will repay the loan, but I was not heard. The allegations of money laundering and fraud against me are baseless. Banks have recovered double the amount of my loan from my properties. Still I am being called corrupt and a thief. Vijay Mallya Fugitive businessma

Let us tell you here that a group of Indian banks had accused Mallya of loan fraud and money laundering of more than Rs 9,000 crore. This group included State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank. After this, a case was also filed against Mallya to declare him bankrupt in the United Kingdom. Recently he has filed a petition to cancel this order.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Parliament that till now Rs 14,131.6 crore has been recovered from the sale and attachment of Mallya’s properties. Mallya has demanded in the Karnataka High Court that the entire account of the recovery made from him and his company United Breweries Holdings Limited should be made public.

Mallya also said in the podcast, “Whatever I built, I built it with hard work. Kingfisher was not just a business for me, it was a dream. I always worked honestly with the banks, but there was a conspiracy to defame me.” He finally stressed, “I want justice. If I have paid more than the loan, then why am I being called a thief? This is an act of political revenge.”

Now the question is, is the recovery from Mallya really complete? If yes, will the rhetoric against Mallya stop? Or will this matter remain a political issue? Mallya says that he will continue to fight for justice.

Whatever happens next, the atmosphere has definitely heated up after this podcast.