MUMBAI, Sept. 11 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has opposed businessman Vijay Mallya's plea before the Bombay high court seeking closure of criminal proceedings against him, saying recovery of bank dues does not end money laundering proceedings. Mallya has argued that the proceedings arising from commercial disputes have become infructuous after lender banks recovered around Rs.15,000 crore against dues of Rs.6,200 crore plus interest. In an affidavit filed before the HC, ED deputy director Amitabh Mishra said proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) are separate from recovery of civil dues. "The present proceedings arise from allegations of scheduled offences and the offence of money laundering under PMLA, which operate in a field distinct from proceedings for recovery of civil dues by the lending institutions," Mishra said. "The amount of bank recovery and the liability determined in recovery proceedings may have relevance for the purpose of quantifying the outstanding dues of the banks. However, the same does not determine whether the ingredients of the scheduled offences or the offence of money laundering are made out," he added. The affidavit followed an August 12 order by Justice Milind Jadhav, while hearing Mallya's plea against a December 19, 2019 order allowing an SBI-led consortium of banks to dispose of assets attached by the ED in two money laundering cases involving Kingfisher Airlines. During the hearing, Mallya's counsel Amit Desai said the plea had become infructuous as seized assets worth around Rs.14,131.60 crore had subsequently been dealt with by the special PMLA court. The ED alleged Mallya was "instrumental in taking material decisions of the company."...