Nirav Modi’s remand extended till Sept 19
Modi appeared to be in a sombre mood during the very brief hearing. The fugitive diamantaire has been lodged at Wand sworth prison in south-west London.
London: Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, wanted in connection with the `14,000-crore PNB fraud and money laundering case, appeared before a UK court on Thursday via videolink from his London prison and was further remanded in custody till September 19.
London, Aug. 22: Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, wanted in India in connection with the nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case, appeared before a UK court on Thursday via videolink from his London prison and was further remanded in judicial custody till September 19.
The routine “call-over” hearing in the 48-year-old's extradition case at Westminster Magistrates' Court was presided over by judge Tan Ikram, who told Modi that his trial dates would be confirmed at the next call-over hearing on September 19, when he will again appear via videolink.
“No progress today, I'm afraid,” judge Ikram said, as he gave directions for the court clerk to seek a confirmation of the proposed five-day extradition trial dates starting May 11, 2020.
There is also likely to be a case management hearing in the case ahead of the trial in February next year.
Modi, who was dressed in a track suit, appeared in a sombre mood during the very brief hearing.
He has been lodged at Wandsworth prison in south-west London since his arrest in March on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard on charges brought by the Indian government, being represented by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot presided over the last remand hearing in July at Westminster Magistrates' Court via videolink from the prison where Modi is being held, during which she had indicated that the dates for an estimated five-day trial would be mutually agreed by both sides soon.
As per the timelines discussed during the brief hearing, the judge said she expected to receive all the evidence and skeleton argument bundles in the case by April 8, with a fiveday hearing then expected to be slotted in May next year.
Under United Kingdom law, Modi is expected to be produced before the court within a 28-day period.