The United Kingdom has approved fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya’s extradition to India, reports said on Monday. According to BloombergQuint, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid has formally signed the extradition order. A British court had ordered his extradition in December.

This means Mallya can formally begin the appeals process. Last week, the businessman claimed that his firm’s assets worth Rs 13,000 crore were seized on behalf of a consortium of banks whom he owes Rs 9,000 crore. Mallya had also questioned the accusations of fraud and money laundering against him, and alleged that there were irregularities in the legal process against him.

On January 5, a special court in Mumbai declared Mallya a fugitive economic offender. He is the first person to get the tag after Parliament passed the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act last year to allow the seizure of domestic assets of such individuals.

Mallya, who moved to London in March 2016, was fighting a number of lawsuits in the United Kingdom and India related to fraud and money laundering allegations.