More Trouble For Lalit Modi As Vanuatu Citizenship To Be Cancelled
Lalit Modi had filed an application with the Indian High Commission in London to surrender his Indian passport.
Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat has directed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to fugitive former IPL chief Lalit Modi after "recent revelations in international media." Modi had applied with the Indian High Commission in London to surrender his Indian passport.
The Republic of Vanuatu in an official statement said, "I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Mr Lalit Modi following recent revelations in international media."
"While all standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, conducted during his application showed no criminal convictions, I have been made aware in the past 24 hours that Interpol twice rejected Indian authorities' requests to issue an alert notice on Mr Modi due to lack of substantive judicial evidence. Any such alert would have triggered an automatic rejection of Mr Modi's citizenship application," the statement quoted PM Napat.
Vanuatu Passport Is A Privilege, Not A Right
He said 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 intention," he added.
"The Vanuatu government has significantly strengthened the due diligence aspect of its citizenship by investment programme over the past four years," the statement read, adding that this has resulted in a marked increase in applications failing the enhanced scrutiny undertaken by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit.
"The improved process implemented several years ago includes triple-agency checks, including Interpol verification," it said.
The Ministry of External Affairs earlier stated that they were aware of his application for surrendering his passport in the High Commission of India in London, and they were continuing to pursue all cases against him as per the law. Modi left India in 2010 while under investigation for financial misconduct, including unauthorised fund transfers.
Modi, who previously served as the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is accused of bid-rigging, money laundering, and violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA).
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