Vanuatu PM cancels fugitive Lalit Modi's passport, says bid to avoid extradition

Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat ordered the Citizenship Commission to cancel Indian fugitive businessman Lalit Modi's passport, accusing him of using the South Pacific Island nation's citizenship to avoid extradition.

"I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to begin proceedings to cancel Lalit Modi's Vanuatu passport immediately," Vanuatu's PM Napat said in an official statement.

Indian investigating agencies have listed the former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman as an economic offender. He is alleged to have been involved in embezzlement of crores of rupees during his term as chairman.

Modi, believed to be living in London, had recently applied to surrender his Indian Passport at the Indian High Commission in London.

He said last week that he is ready to renounce Indian citizenship as he has received Vanuatu, an island country in the Pacific Ocean.

According to a media release by the PM’s office dated March 11, PM Napat had directed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Lalit Modi.

Vanuatu’s PM explained that Modi’s citizenship application had undergone standard background checks, and it was only in the past 24 hours that the country came across information that Interpol had twice rejected India’s requests to issue an alert notice against him due to insufficient judicial evidence.

“ 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 read.

PM Napat also noted that citizenship of his country is a privilege, not a right, and applicants must seek it for legitimate reasons.

"None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts brought to light indicate was Lalit Modi's intention," he stated.

Modi, on March 7, applied to surrender his Indian passport, which was later confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

"He has made an application for surrendering his passport in the high commission of India, London. The same will be examined in light of extant rules and procedures. We also understand that he has acquired citizenship of Vanuatu. We continue to pursue the case against him as required under law" MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.