Kingfisher Airlines case: CBI to send Letters Rogatory to US, UK, France, Hongkong

New Delhi: The CBI will soon be sending judicial requests to at least five countries, including the US and the UK, to seek information about alleged diversion of loans received by now defunct Kingfisher Airlines from IDBI Bank. The sources said the move has been prompted by "good inputs" received from Financial Intelligence Unit on the transactions of Kingfisher Airlines.

They said so far the agency has prepared Letters Rogatory --judicial requests-- to be sent to the United Kingdom, the US, Hong Kong, France and Switzerland. They said, as investigation progresses, the agency will be approaching some other countries for information about transactions and remittances made by the Vijay Mallya-promoted airlines which are under CBI scanner.

CBI suspects that a "major chunk" of the Rs 950 crore loans taken from the IDBI Bank, which was transferred to Axis Bank, was used for foreign remittances towards lease rentals, and purchase of parts of the aircraft.

"Since these remittances have gone outside the country, further inquiry can only be made by sending Letters Rogatory (LR) for foreign investigation by taking up a regular case," Inspector Varsha Verma had recommended after completing her preliminary inquiry into the matter on July 28, 2015.

The agency had registered an FIR the next day but carried out searches nearly three months after it. Letters Rogatory is a formal communication in writing sent by the court in which action is pending to a foreign court or Judge, requesting for the testimony of a witness residing within the jurisdiction of that foreign court may be formally taken thereon under its direction and transmitted to the issuing court making such request for use in a pending legal matter.