New Delhi: A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court declared Vijay Mallya a fugitive economic offender on Saturday as ANI reported. His properties can now be seized by the government. The special PMLA Court has rejected his application to stay the order and ruled to give him some time to appeal.

 Worth mention here the under pressure liquor baron is the first to be declared so, under the newly formed fugitive economic offenders Act. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier lodged an application before the special court urging  Mallya to be declared a fugitive under the Fugitive Economic Offenders' Act, 2018.

It may be noted that as per the provisions of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act 2018, a fugitive offender is a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued  regarding a scheduled offence and who has left the nation to shun criminal prosecution or a person who is abroad and denies to return to India to face criminal prosecution.  It is noteworthy that once the person is declared a fugitive economic offender, the prosecuting agency can seize his properties.

Prior to December 2018, a UK court had ruled Mallya's extradition following which he had stated that he would consider and study the order and then his lawyers would lodge an appeal.