New Delhi: A Day after UK-based The Telegraph tracked down Nirav Modi in London’s West End, Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said that the UK government has forwarded its extradition request to a designated court for further proceeding.
Modi is accused of siphoning off Rs 13,000 crore from the Punjab National Bank.
ED sources told News 18 that UK’s home secretary sent the request to the designated court on March 6. The court will consider the initial arrest of the fugitive businessman after going through the evidence filed by the Enforcement Directorate and CBI.
However, the sources said there has been no written confirmation to Indian authorities so far and the UK has only verbally informed about the movement of extradition request to the designated court.
The allegations against Modi are that the companies linked to the jeweller and his relatives received credit worth close to Rs 14,000 crore between 2011 and 2017 using false guarantees supplied by two officials of the PNB.
On the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI, the ED initiated investigation against Modi on February 14, 2018, under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
ED said it had earlier sent 18 letter rogatories (LR) to countries such as Armania, Belgium, China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Sotuth Africa, UK, UAE, Hong Kong, Singamore and Switzerland. It added that acting on its July 2018 request for extradition to UK, the country’s home ministry confirmed that the request was certified by the home secretary and sent to Westminster Magistrate Court for further proceedings.
Meanwhile, Nirav Modi’s luxurious bungalow in Alibaug was demolished by the office of the district Collector of Raigad on Friday.
Situated at Kihim beach, over 90 km from Mumbai, it was declared illegal along with 58 other structures that flouted all environmental norms.
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