Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi’s 10th attempt to secure bail was firmly rejected by the UK High Court on May 15. Justice Michael Fordham, while delivering the ruling at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, stated that Modi continues to be backed by substantial evidence and highlighted the risk of absconding as a major concern.
”And I repeat, after careful evaluation, UK courts have twice concluded that there is an evidenced prima facie case against the applicant,” Justice Fordham underlined while dismissing the plea. The court further highlighted that Modi, the main figure in India’s largest banking fraud, faces charges of ”very great seriousness and substance” related to the Rs 13,800 crore scam involving Punjab National Bank.
The 54-year-old businessman has been in UK custody since March 2019 after he was arrested in London. The Indian government, through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has been seeking his extradition to face trial for cheating PNB by using fake Letters of Undertaking issued to foreign banks.
In his ruling, Justice Fordham stated that the incidents show attempts made by Modi to obstruct justice. ”Part of what is alleged is that he was criminally responsible for actions in which witnesses were interfered with and evidence was destroyed,” the court mentioned. The statement was made in reference to the destruction of a mobile and a computer server in Dubai in early 2018.
The CBI also backed the arguments with these actions, emphasizing the need to keep Modi in custody to prevent further meddling with the evidence. ”This is his 10th bail petition since his detention in the UK, which was successfully defended by the CBI through the Crown Prosecution Service, London,” the agency stated in a statement.
In spite of the fact that the UK court has already sanctioned Modi’s extradition to India, his legal team has tried to delay the process by filing successive appeals. The most recent was a failed bid made to the UK Supreme Court in 2022. The ED has also lodged a money laundering case against Modi and his uncle, Mehul Choksi. Assets worth hundreds of crores have already bene seized.