Here’s an account of each time ‘King of Good Times’ Vijay Mallya played the victim card

Despite all efforts being made to bring Vijay Mallya back to the country and recover dues to the tune of nearly Rs 9,000 crore from him, it seems like Vijay Mallya’s stand is clear – he is a victim of witch-hunts.

Right from the time he left the country, Mallya has been unapologetic in his statements, on Twitter and in an interview with Financial Times. Each time, he continued to pose as the victim in the entire situation.

In an interview with the Financial Times in April 2016, Mallya said that he has always been in dialogue with the banks. “We wish to settle. But we wish to settle at a reasonable number that we can afford and banks can justify on the basis of settlements done before,” he said.

He went on to say that by taking his passport or arresting him, the banks won’t be getting any money. This points to the fact that he may never have had the real intention to pay back.

In the interview with FT, he played the victim card several times saying things like he was in a ‘forced exile’.

He even blamed the media for ‘molding’ public opinion and ‘inflaming’ the government to a very large extent.

He flat out denied charges against him siphoning funds saying, “I am absolutely not guilty of any of these preposterous charges of diverting funds from Kingfisher, buying properties or stuff like that,” adding that the sum he is said to owe is an inflated amount.

Back in June 2016, very soon after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets of over Rs 1000 crore to Mallya, he put out a statement that he was deeply pained to keep reading about further action government agencies are planning against him.

“It is, indeed, sad and disappointing that the thousands of documents submitted by us and interrogation of several executives seems insufficient to convince them there has been no wrongdoing,” he said.

He maintained his stand that there was no misappropriation or diversion of funds. He called Kingfisher Airlines a ‘genuine business failure’. He even took a potshot at the government saying that Air India received a bailout package of Rs 30,000 crore from the government, which only goes to show the stressed position of the aviation sector.

His leaving the country, too, he said was a planned visit to attend meetings in Geneva.

On the Non-bailable warrant issues against him, he claimed that he never refused to appear but only sought time to sell assets to pay the employees, tax authorities and banks.

Employees of KFA too, bore the brunt. At 1.30 pm on October 5, 2012, the wife of a former Kingfisher Airlines employee committed suicide. The 45-year old Sushmita Chakraborty, wrote in her suicide note that her husband had not been paid by the company for five months and the acute financial crisis in the family led her to end her life.

This was followed by massive protests by employees of the airlines.

The liquor baron’s one-line reply conveyed his apathy. “I don’t have money to pay your salaries,” he had said sometime in March 2016.

Not so surprisingly, at the time, the willful defaulter was seen partying in a luxurious yacht and also attending the Caribbean Premier League.

After his stint with showing apathy, Mallya switched to blaming others, which included Pratt & Whitney Engines.

On March 7 this year, Vijay Mallya, in a tweet, blamed the “faulty” Pratt & Whitney engines for the fall of Kingfisher Airlines.

“We have sued IAE, a Pratt & Whitney Group Company for compensation towards defective aircraft engines supplied to Kingfisher Airlines,” his tweet read.

The unapologetic former billionaire took to Twitter and blasted the Indian media for not lauding his efforts in his new Formula 1 venture after he had defaulted Rs 9,061 crores.

“When so many employees lost their jobs and thousands of them took to protesting and writing open letter to him, he remained unapologetic and the pride in his ‘no regrets’ comment had angered and given cause to so many to lose hope. It is a good day to see him fall,” a former employee told TNM.

And while the entire amount is yet to be paid, Mallya transferred $40 million he received towards the $75-million debt settlement with liquor major Diageo to his three children through gift settlements.

And most recently, after SEBI barred him from trading in the securities market, he lashed out at SEBI and CBI on twitter to furnish proof against him.

“Before slamming me ask CBI and SEBI some tough questions on what proof or evidence they have to allege fraud,” he tweeted.