An UK extradition judge on Thursday, 25 February, ruled that fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, wanted in the 14-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam can be extradited to India to stand trial, reported ANI.
The judge, who had said that Modi has a case to answer for in India, said that the jeweller would not be denied justice if he is extradited to India.
“I am satisfied that Nirav Modi’s extradition to India is in compliance per human rights,” District Judge Samuel Goozee said, adding that he had the right to appeal the order.
“There is no evidence that if extradited Nirav Modi will not get justice,” the judge said, agreeing with the submissions of the Indian government.
Nirav Modi had contested his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering in the estimated $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case. The legal battle in the UK court went on for two years.
The magistrates’ court ruling will now be sent to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel for a sign off. However, there remains a possibility of an appeal in the High Court.
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.
Modi, who is accused of fraudulently obtaining letters of undertaking or loan agreements and laundering the proceeds of that fraud, has been denied bail at both Magistrate and High Court level in the UK.
He is also accused of causing the disappearance of evidence and intimidating witnesses.
