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The extradition of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi to India will take place after the completion of ongoing judicial proceedings in the United Kingdom, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.
During a media briefing, MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the legal proceedings against the fugitive diamantaire in the UK are still underway and India remains committed to bringing back fugitives to face justice. "As far as Nirav Modi is concerned, as we've said before, legal proceedings are ongoing in the UK. Once that judicial process concludes, his extradition will happen. We are following those legal proceedings. From our side, the Indian government is committed to ensuring all fugitives return to India and face the judicial process here," he said. Last month, Nirav Modi, who has been lodged in a London prison since 2019, suffered a major legal setback after the London Circuit Commercial Court ordered him to pay more than USD 10.7 million to Bank of India in connection with a loan extended to a Dubai-based company promoted by him. The court held that Nirav Modi was personally liable for the debt after he provided a personal guarantee for a loan granted by Bank of India to a Dubai-based company of the Firestar Group. Nirav Modi is presently pursuing legal remedies before the European Court of Human Rights in an effort to halt his extradition to India, where he is wanted by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the alleged multi-billion-dollar Punjab National Bank fraud case. His remark comes as a response to a question on former UK Home Secretary Priti Patel's recent comment that Nirav Modi's extradition was delayed due to India's refusal to take back illegal immigrants from the UK. In reponse, Jaiswal said that India follows a standard procedure for the return of individuals facing deportation. "With any country, there is a procedure we follow: whenever a person needs to be deported from there, there's a process for nationality verification. We receive the necessary documents, establish the person's citizenship, and then complete the process for their return to India. This is the standard procedure that we have always followed," Jaiswal said. Priti Patel, a Conservative Party leader, served as the UK's Home Secretary from 2019 to 2022. (ANI)
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