UBI asks Mallya, Kingfisher directors to appear on July 9

Asked to appear so that they can get a chance to defend themselves before the bank declares them as wilful defaulter

Kolkata-based lender United Bank of India (UBI) has asked Vijay Mallya and three other directors of the grounded Kingfisher Airlines to appear before a panel of the bank at the head office here on July 9.

“The recovery department of the bank has sent a letter to them asking chairman Vijay Mallya and three other directors of Kingfisher Airlines to appear on July 9 before the grievance redressal committee of UBI here,” bank’s Executive Director Sanjay Arya said here.

Arya said, they had been asked to appear so that they could get a chance to defend themselves before the bank declares them willful defaulter.

The bank had earlier sent a notice to Mallya and he was given 15 days to give a reply. Subsequently Mallya requested that he had something to say in this regard.

UBI was the first the among banks in the country to take such a stern step against the grounded airline. The bank’s exposure to Kingfisher Airlines was around Rs 350 crore.

Arya said that a lender declares a person a wilful defaulter when it is satisfied that the borrower does not pay despite having the ability and funds diversion.

“We have thoroughly scrutinised all the documents and we are completely satisfied,” he said.

The country’s largest lender State Bank of India was also exploring ways to declare Mallya a willful defaulter and was presently making forensic audit of the documents.

A person declared wilful defaulter would lose directorships in companies and would never be able to borrow further.