Vanuatu cancels fugitive Lalit Modi's passport, cites 'attempt to evade extradition'
Vanuatu has canceled Lalit Modi’s passport, citing his attempt to evade extradition. The former IPL chairman, wanted in India for financial irregularities, had sought Vanuatu citizenship. India continues legal efforts to bring him to justice.
FollowIn a fresh blow to fugitive businessman Lalit Modi, the Vanuatu government has decided to cancel the passport issued to him, citing concerns that he sought citizenship in the Pacific island nation to escape extradition. Prime Minister Jotham Napat on Monday directed the country’s Citizenship Commission to revoke Modi’s Vanuatu passport following recent revelations in international media.
"I have instructed the citizenship commission to immediately begin proceedings to cancel Lalit Modi's Vanuatu passport," Napat said in an official statement. He acknowledged that all standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, had shown no criminal convictions at the time of Modi’s application.
However, he noted that in the past 24 hours, he had learned that Interpol twice rejected India’s requests to issue an alert notice against Modi due to a lack of substantive judicial evidence. Had such an alert been issued, Modi’s citizenship application would have been automatically rejected, he explained.
Emphasizing that holding a Vanuatu passport is a "privilege, not a right," Napat underscored that citizenship applicants must have legitimate reasons for seeking it. "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.
Modi recently submitted an application to surrender his Indian passport at the Indian High Commission in London. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the development, stating, "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."
The Vanuatu government highlighted its strengthened due diligence processes in its citizenship-by-investment program, stating that enhanced scrutiny by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit has led to a significant increase in rejected applications. "The improved process implemented several years ago includes triple-agency checks, including Interpol verification," the statement read.
On March 7, while responding to a question on reports that Lalit Modi had acquired the citizenship of Vanuatu, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that they are aware of his application for surrendering his passport in the High Commission of India in London and they are continuing to pursue all cases against him as per the law.
Earlier in a post on X on March 8 Lalit Modi wrote, "No court of law in India has a case pending against me personally. It's only media fiction. Fifteen years have gone. But they keep saying we are going after me - more than welcome to. But first file an application for any wrongdoing, instead of just imagining that I have been charge with something wrong.... This is called fake news.... Only thing that I have done single handedly is create a global loved product called IPL which you lap it up like there is no tomorrow."
Lalit Modi is currently based in London, UK and had applied to surrender his Indian passport on acquiring Citizenship of Vanuatu. The founder of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Modi previously served as the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
He is accused of alleged bid-rigging, money laundering, and violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA). He left India in 2010 while under investigation for alleged financial misconduct, including unauthorized fund transfers.
India continues to pursue legal action against Modi, with authorities maintaining that he must face justice for the financial misconduct allegations against him. The cancellation of his Vanuatu passport adds a new layer of uncertainty to his legal and diplomatic battles.
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