Arun Jaitley slams Vijay Mallya's claims, calls it 'factually false'

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday rejected Vijay Mallya's claim that the fugitive businessman met him before leaving India two years ago.
Earlier today, the 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airline boss, who appeared before the Westminster Magistrates' Court in his extradition case, was asked by reporters if he was "tipped off" to leave the country.
"I left because I had a scheduled meeting in Geneva.I met the finance minister before I left, repeated my offer to settle with the banks. That is the truth," he responded, without naming the minister.

In a Facebook post, Jaitley wrote, "My attention has been drawn to a statement made to the media by Vijay Mallya on having met me with an offer of settlement. The statement 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."

He further wrote, "However, since he was a Member of Rajya Sabha and he occasionally attended the House, he misused that privilege on one occasion while I was walking out of the House to go to my room."
Calling the offers made by Mallya as "bluff", the finance minister said he told him “there was no point talking to me and he must make offers to his bankers.”

Govt must reveal details of Mallya's meetings with Jaitley: Congress
The government must explain how and why Vijay Mallya was allowed to leave India, the Congress said on Wednesday after the liquor baron's claim that he met Jaitley.
The government, the party alleged, was fully complicit in the flight of people like Mallya and others from the country.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the country wants to know what transpired during the meetings between Mallya and Jaitley.
(With inputs from agencies)
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