The Fugitive diamond trader Nirav Modi shall be extradited to India today to face charges of fraud and money laundering.
Nirav Modi had filed an appeal in the High Court in London which was rejected and the court ordered his extradition to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering, which are estimated to amount USD 2 billion in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan scam caseas per the latest news.
The verdict was delivered by Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith and Justice Robert Jay, who presided over the appeal hearing earlier this year.
On November 9, the UK high court cleared the path for his extradition to India, which was seen as a big win for the CBI and the ED case against the businessman.
Nirav Modi had appealed in the Court that under Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) it would be “unjust or oppressive” to extradite 51-year-old Mr. Modi due to his mental state and Section 91 of the Extradition Act 2003, which again relates to mental health.
Indian authorities through Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had filed their submission before the UK high court. The judges had said, “We are far from satisfied that Nirav Modi’s mental condition and the risk of suicide are such that it would be either unjust or oppressive to extradite him.”
The verdict found every reason to accept that the government of India (GOI) will treat its assurances on Nirav’s medical care at Barrack 12 of Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai with ‘appropriate seriousness’.
A UK court had ruled in favour of the extradition of Nirav Modi and said that he can be extradited to India to stand trial. The Westminster Court had ruled that there’s no evidence to suggest that Modi would not receive a fair trial in India.
After his extradition to India, Nirav Modi will be lodged in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail in a special cell. The jail official said Modi will be kept in one of the three cells of barrack number 12, which is a high-security barrack.
Modi, who was arrested on an extradition warrant on March 19, 2019, has been lodged in a UK prison and is the subject of two sets of criminal proceedings, with the CBI case relating to a 13,500 crore fraud upon PNB through the fraudulent obtaining of loan agreements, and the ED case relating to the money laundering of the proceeds of that fraud.