Lalit Modi’s attempt to evade extradition has been blocked by Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat. After initially issuing a passport to the former Indian Premier League (IPL) founder, the Prime Minister has now ordered the Citizenship Commission to revoke it, stating that Modi was seeking to avoid extradition.
This decision follows recent international media reports highlighting that the former IPL chief is wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for his alleged involvement in the embezzlement of crores of rupees during his tenure as the league’s top official.
What Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat Said
An official media release by the Republic of Vanuatu stated, “I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Mr Lalit Modi following recent revelations in international media.”
“I have been made aware in the past 24 hours that Interpol twice rejected Indian authorities’ requests to issue an alert notice on Mr Lalit Modi due to lack of substantive judicial evidence. Any such alert would have triggered an automatic rejection of Mr Modi’s citizenship application,” it read.
The release also stated that the “Prime Minister emphasised that holding a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, not a right, and applicants must seek citizenship for legitimate reasons.”
“None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts brought to light clearly indicate was Mr Modi’s intension,” (sic), it read.
However, it has been alleged that Vanuatu’s Prime Minister canceled Lalit Modi’s passport due to India’s suspected involvement. India has been attempting to extradite him for years, but he has repeatedly evaded such efforts.
Several reports also suggest that Neeta Bhushan, India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, along with officials from other island nations, played a key role in securing the cancellation of Modi’s Vanuatu passport.
According to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Modi Was About To Surrender His Indian Passport. On March 7, he had submitted the application to surrender the Indian passport. Lalit Modi, who left India in 2010 and is learnt to have been living in London, is now known to have acquired citizenship of Vanuatu, a South Pacific Island nation.
What MEA Said
“He has made an application for surrendering his passport in the high commission of India, London,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “The same will be examined in light of extant rules and procedures. We are also given to understand that he has acquired citizenship of Vanuatu. We continue to pursue the case against him as required under law,” he said.
