Nirav Modi extradition plea submitted
HIGH COMMISSION IN LONDON SUBMITS DOCUMENTS TO BRITISH AUTHORITIES
Papers handed to UK for the fugitive who is prime accused in the $2 billion loan fraud scam
The Indian High Com-mission in London has handed over the extradition request documents for fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, wanted in India as a prime accused in the $2 billion (Dh7.34 billion) loan fraud scam at Punjab National Bank, to the UK Central Authority, according to official sources here.
The unit within the UK government’s Home Office will now process the request, which falls under mutual legal assistance requests, to assist in criminal investigations or proceedings, before an extradition warrant can be issued against Modi.
The whereabouts of the billionaire jeweller remain unknown, but the Indian government had been informed by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in June that it can initiate extradition proceedings despite the uncertainty.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s parliament, Minister of State for External Affairs V KS ingh had said earlier this week that an extradition request for Modi “has been sent by a Special Diplomatic Bag to the High Commission of India (HCI), London, for onward transmission to the UK authorities”.
Official sources in London confirmed that the documents had soon after been submitted to UKCA this week, setting the extradition process in motion. India falls under the Category 2 set of countries within the UK’s Extradition Act 2003, which require a decision by UK courts as well as the country’s home secretary.
Passport
According to information available in the UK, Modi arrived in London earlier this year on an Indian passport. The UK government was informed about the revocation of that particular passport via a formal Note Verbale from the Indian authorities on February 19, following which the UK Home Office indicated that the businessman had already entered the UK on that travel document but there was no record of him exiting the country.