File Photo | Photo Credit: PTI

New Delhi: Beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Wednesday claimed that he met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley several times before leaving the country. However, the embattled business tycoon refused to divulge the details of his meeting with the FM.

"I am a political football and my conscience is clear", the 62-year-old businessman said. He further added that he made repeated offers to settle the matter. It may be noted that Mallya arrived at a London court earlier for a hearing in his extradition case, during which the judge reviewed a video of the Mumbai jail cell prepared by India for the disgraced businessman.

Mallya emphasised that he does not agree with what the prosecutor has alleged and will let the court decide. However, the judgement of Wednesday's hearing is still awaited.

'I met the Finance Minister before I left and repeated my offer to settle with the banks', claims Vijay Mallya #MallyaRevelation pic.twitter.com/k1IdWnFVpT — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 12, 2018

The fugitive liquor baron said that he had made a “comprehensive settlement” offer before the Karnataka High Court that will help in paying off all his dues. Mallya claimed that banks had filed objections to his repeated settlement offers. In 2016, the 62-year-old tycoon had left the country after defrauding banks to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore.

Worth mentioning here is that Mallya has been on bail on an "extradition warrant" since he was arrested last year at the request of Indian authorities. In the previous hearing in July in the Westminster Magistrates' Court, Judge Emma Arbuthnot requested Indian authorities to submit a "step-by-step" video of the Barrack 12 of Arthur Road Jail to check whether it is fit to accommodate the fugitive businessman.

In June, Mallya clarified that he and his company United Breweries Holding Limited (UBHL) had sought permission from the court to sell assets worth Rs 13,900 crore to repay his debts. Mallya had issued a statement on the whole loan repayment debacle, adding that he had written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in 2016 but did not get any reply.