Fugitive businessman Nirav Modi can be extradited, says UK court; big diplomatic victory for India

New Delhi: In a major diplomatic victory for India, Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam accused Nirav Modi is in all likelyhood be extradited to India.

The fugitive businessman has been behind bars in a London prison.

A London Court today allowed fugitive economic offender Nirav Modi’s extradition to India.

The UK court accepted that there was a prima facie evidence of fraud against Nirav Modi. The District Judge also accepted the Indian government’s claim that the jeweller was threatening witnesses and tampered with evidence.

“I am satisfied that there is evidence that Mr Modi could be convicted”, the judge reportedly said.

Nirav Modi appearing via video conferencing before Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where District Judge Samuel Goozee was delivering his judgment on whether the jeweller has a case to answer before the Indian courts.

Charges against Nirav Modi

Nirav Modi is wanted in India for fraud and money laundering to the tune of Rs 14,000 crore PNB scam.

Nirav Modi was arrested on an extradition warrant on March 19, 2019, and has appeared via video link from prison for a series of court hearings in the extradition case. His multiple attempts at seeking bail were repeatedly turned down, both at the Magistrates’ and High Court level, as he was deemed a flight risk.

He is the subject of two sets of criminal proceedings, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case relating to a large-scale fraud upon PNB through the fraudulent obtaining of Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) or loan agreements, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case regarding the laundering of the fraud’s proceeds.

Additionally, he faces two additional charges of “causing the disappearance of evidence” and intimidating witnesses or “criminal intimidation to cause death, which were added on to the CBI case.