Nirav Modi to appear via video conferencing as trial to resume in UK court tomorrow

Nirav Modi who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since his arrest in March last year, will appear via video link for the second leg of his extradition trial at a UK court  

London: Nirav Modi is set to appear via video link for the second leg of his extradition trial at a UK court on September 7.  The businessman is charged in a money laundering case in connection with an over $2 billion alleged bank fraud at a PNB branch in Mumbai.

Due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions, District Judge Samuel Goozee has directed Modi's appearance from a room in Wandsworth Prison in south-west London with social distancing norms in place.

 The charges against the diamond merchant centre around his firms Diamonds R Us, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds making fraudulent use of a credit facility offered by the Punjab National Bank (PNB), known as letters of undertaking (LoUs).

Modi's team has sought to counter allegations of fraud by deposing witnesses to establish the volatility of the gems trade and that the LoUs were standard practice.

49-year-old Nirav Modi is currently lodged in a UK jail after being arrested in London in March 2019 and is currently fighting extradition to India.