MEA: Govt will liaise with UK for Nirav’s early extradition
India on Thursday evening said that “since the Westminster Magistrate’s Court has recommended Nirav Modi’s extradition to the UK home secretary, the Government of India would liaise with the UK authorities for his early extradition to India”
On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “Nirav Modi is wanted in India in connection with the multimillion dollar Punjab National Bank Fraud case. On the request of CBI and ED, his extradition from UK was sought in August 2018. He was arrested and produced before the Senior District Judge at Westminster Magistrate’s court on 20.03.2019. Since then he is facing extradition proceedings while in judicial custody. The final hearing in this case was held on 7-8 January 2021. On Thursday, the Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London has pronounced that Nirav Modi be extradited to India to stand trial.”
The MEA added, “Dismissing the mental health concerns raised by Nirav Modi, the judge observed that Nirav Modi conspired to destroy evidence and intimidate witnesses. Since the Court has recommended his extradition to the UK
Home Secretary, India would liaise with the UK authorities for his early extradition to India.”
A senior diplomat at India House said the judgment paves the way for the government of India and the high commission officials to liaise with the UK authorities on the next stages of the procedural matters for extradition.
Under pressure for his handling of the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has ignored repeated calls to resign for losing swathes of territory to Azerbaijan in the war. President Armen Sarkisian said he was taking urgent steps to try to defuse the crisis.
Yerevan, Feb. 25: Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused the military of an attempted coup and brought supporters to the streets on Thursday, as months of tensions over its defeat in last year's war with Azerbaijan came to a head.
Thousands marched through the streets of the capital Yerevan in support of Pashinyan, with the opposition urging him to step down to avoid bloodshed or even civil war.
President Armen Sarkisian, whose role is largely symbolic, said he was taking urgent steps to try to defuse the crisis, calling on all involved to “show restraint and common sense.” Under pressure for his handling of the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Pashinyan has ignored repeated calls to resign for losing swathes of territory to Azerbaijan in the war.
After largely backing the prime minister for months, the military's general staff on Thursday joined calls for him to step down, saying in a statement that he and his cabinet “are not capable of taking adequate decisions”.
Pashinyan hit back with an accusation that top brass were mounting an “attempted military coup” and fired the chief of the general staff Onik Gasparyan. Hundreds of supporters then joined Pashinyan to march through central Yerevan, chanting “Nikol Prime Minister!”
Speaking to supporters through a megaphone, Pashinyan called for calm, as dozens of police deployed outside the main government offices. “The situation is tense, but we must agree that there cannot be clashes,” said Pashinyan, who was joined by his wife, daughters, ministers and security detail.
He said the situation in the country was under control and that the military's call had been an “emotional reaction” to his firing the previous day of the deputy chief of the general staff Tigran Khachatryan.
Khachatryan had ridiculed claims by Pashinyan that Iskander missiles supplied by Russia — Armenia's main military ally — had failed to hit targets during the war over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia's opposition — who have been calling for Pashinyan's resignation since a ceasefire deal in November — urged him to heed to military's call.
“We call on Nikol Pashinyan not to lead the country towards civil war and to avoid bloodshed. Pashinyan has one last chance to avoid turmoil,” Prosperous Armenia, the country's largest opposition party, said in a statement.
Prosperous Armenia and another opposition party, Bright Armenia, called for the holding of an extraordinary session of parliament.