Investigative agencies have found evidence to establish a link between fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya and lobbyist Deepak Talwar, according to a report by The Economic Times.
Mallya and Talwar, who is detained in a corruption case, were “very close,” a source told the paper.
Agencies found emails and SMSs between Mallya and Talwar, as well as their associates, the report said.
The contents of the messages includes attempts to discourage the Bihar government from implementing a liquor ban, concerns over possible inclusion of Airbus in the Kingfisher loan scandal probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the release of a statement to the media after Mallya left for London in 2016.
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story.
Executives from United Spirits (USL), previously owned by United Breweries (UBL), were a part of the communication regarding the liquor ban in Bihar, the report said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had informed the court about a possible link between Mallya and Talwar in February, the report added.
The Bihar government had in 2015 banned liquor with effect from 2016. One of Talwar’s associates sought data from USL about the “human cost” of the ban in an email with the header “Presentation for interaction with Bihar government”.
The investigation found emails scheduling meetings with the state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the chief secretary to make a case against the prohibition, the report said.
“Talwar had lobbied for Vijay Mallya and UB Group,” a source told the paper.
Mallya was also worried about the CBI including Airbus in the IDBI-Kingfisher bank loan case, the report said.
Agencies found that, in October 2015, Mallya shared a media report with Talwar, titled "IDBI officials failed to alert on Kingfisher Airlines loan: CBI".
Mallya sent a media statement to Talwar on March 7, 2016 regarding the Kingfisher loan default case and his departure to the UK.
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