Port Vila: In a dramatic turn of events, Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat has ordered the immediate cancellation of fugitive businessman Lalit Modi’s Vanuatu passport, accusing him of using the island nation’s citizenship to dodge extradition.
The move comes just days after Modi, the controversial founder of the Indian Premier League (IPL), applied to surrender his Indian passport at the Indian High Commission in London.
Napat’s crackdown follows fresh international media reports exposing Modi’s alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as IPL chief. Indian authorities have long sought his return to face charges related to embezzling crores of rupees, but extradition efforts have been hampered by legal hurdles.
“I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to immediately begin proceedings to cancel Lalit Modi’s Vanuatu passport,” PM Napat announced in an official statement.
Despite undergoing standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, Modi’s application for Vanuatu citizenship was initially approved. However, it has now been revealed that Interpol twice rejected India’s requests to issue an alert notice against him due to a lack of judicial evidence. Had such an alert been issued, Modi’s citizenship bid would have been automatically denied.
“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,” PM Napat confirmed.
The Vanuatu leader made it clear that citizenship in his country is a privilege, not a loophole for fugitives. “None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which recent facts clearly indicate was Mr. Modi’s intention,” he declared.
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed Modi’s application to surrender his Indian passport.
“He has made an application for surrendering his passport in the High Commission of India, London. The same will be examined in light of existing 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 the law,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated.
PNN
