It’s a setback for Nirav Modi as the UK High Court ordered his extradition to India, where he’ll be charged with fraud
In the Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan scam case, the High Court in London dismissed the appeal of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi and ordered him to be extradited to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to approximately USD 2 billion, according to the news agency PTI.
Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith and Justice Robert Jay, who presided over earlier this year’s appeal hearing, delivered the verdict.
Last February, District Judge Sam Goozee of Westminster Magistrates’ Court ruled in favor of Modi’s extradition. Modi remains behind bars in Wandsworth prison in south-east London. The 51-year-old appealed on the grounds of his mental health. The leave to appeal in the High Court has been granted on two grounds – Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) to hear arguments if it would be “unjust or oppressive” to extradite Modi due to his mental state and Section 91 of the Extradition Act 2003, which also related to mental illness.
The UK is currently pursuing extradition proceedings against Modi. It was alleged that he had benefited financially from the issuance of fraudulent letters of undertaking by the bank in the Rs 13,500 crore PNB fraud case. Two other charges against him, including “causing the disappearance of evidence” and “intimidating witnesses to cause death”, were added to the case brought by the CBI.
(With PTI inputs)
