Quote:
Originally Posted by chillibowl
from a legal standpoint the British gov't may not be able to compel Mallya to leave the UK (as a resident of the UK he does have certain rights) but from a political standpoint i dont think any court or politician is willing to be associated with helping a wealthy person avoid answering accusations of money laundering and/or improper use of tax dollars.
maybe its just good (or bad depending on your viewpoint) timing due to the proximity of the release of the 'Panama Papers'.
public perception has changed to the point where i dont think the UK can afford to be seen as a haven for Non Resident Indians hiding from the Indian gov't.
but if he does find a legal reason to compel the UK gov't into letting him stay, his remaining as the team principle for an F1 team must come to an end.
again public perception has changed and allowing VM to maintain his role with the team only serves to reinforce what many now think about F1...its a play thing for the super rich which in and of itself has become an offensive paradigm but doubly so given how much money they want and need from the fans to help subsidize the activities of those same wealthy people.
up until recently, F1's allure of exclusivity and a playground for the super wealthy romanticized the sport...today it is a reason for people to stay away and with TV numbers falling so much im not sure how much leeway F1 has (or how much sense it makes) in protecting VM's position.
imo F1 needs to get ahead of this scandal and ask him to step down in his role as team principle. they probably should have done it a long time ago really.
so i agree money does talk and VM's inclusion makes it harder for FOM/CVC to make money.
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It really won't be the British gov't that decides on whether he remains or not, it will be courts that will rule on the matter. As he is not a British citizen, his options are somewhat limited especially if the extradition treaty between the UK and India allow for the crimes that he is alleged to have committed. There is a possibility that the Home Secretary could overrule the courts, but I think that this is unlikely in this case especially as his properties, at least 3 of them including the one that he bought from Anthony Hamilton (Lewis' dad) for £11.5 million, are implicated in offshore arrangements and may have been purchased using some of the money allegedly siphoned out of India.
The problem that F1 has with Mallya, as with Mr E before, is that although they may be accused of economic crimes, no court has yet found them guilty of anything. The only thing economical that the courts in the UK could find about BCE was his truthfulness, whilst his payment into the court in Germany ensured that they didn't find anything at all.
Mallya must be champing at the bit because he likes to be seen surrounded by sycophants, and he can't do that whilst only able to stay in the UK. And I can see a time coming when the Indian courts will attempt to sequester all his assets in the UK, leaving him no option but to return to India to answer the charges. If he is truly innocent of them then he should have nothing to fear.