You can keep dreaming about a billion pounds, says Vijay Mallya

London: Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya, whom India wants extradited for facing trial in a Rs 9,000-crore bank loan default case, on Tuesday claimed that he has not diverted any of the borrowed money to the team he owned in the IPL and asked reporters to "keep dreaming about the billions of pounds" that he had allegedly diverted.

Mallya, whose bail was continued till December 4, appeared before a Westminster magistrate court on Tuesday and later told media outside that he was delighted that he would be able to put up his case before a "fair and impartial" court here.

Mallya, who owes as much as Rs 9,000 crore to a consortium of Indian banks, fled to Britain in March last year. India is seeking his extradition for which the procedure has already begun and a team of the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation is chalking out the process.

He remarked that when he went to cheer the Indian cricket team in the Champions Trophy, it "became a media sensation". "I go to cheer India in a cricket match and it becomes a media frenzy. It's better I don't say anything."

Asked if he was relieved at being told by the court not to come for the next hearing on July 6, he said: "I do not want to say anything about what happened inside the court.

"I am delighted that I can put forward my case before an impartial court," he said. Earlier before going into the court, Mallya said he had not eluded any court of law and denied all allegations levelled against him.

"I have nothing to say as the court proceedings are on and I deny all allegations that have been made and I will continue to deny them," he said. Mallya also said he had "enough evidence" to fight the case, but parried a question whether he fears that a trial in India would be unfair to him.