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Indian Diamond Businessman and fugitive Nirav Modi‘s Extradition trail is resumed from today 07 September, 2020 by UK Court in London. Extradition charges brought by the Indian government, being represented at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service.
Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, who has been lodged at a prison in London since his arrest in March last year, is set to appear via videolink for the second leg of his extradition trial at a UK court on Monday.
Nirav Modi is accused of estimated USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank fraud and money laundering case brought by the Indian government, being represented at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service.
Justice Goozee had presided over the first leg of the extradition in May, during which the CPS sought to establish a prima facie case of fraud and money laundering against Modi. The upcoming hearings are ear-marked to complete those arguments after the Indian government had submitted additional corroboratory evidence required for the extradition.
It will then go on to deal with the additional extradition request, made by the Indian authorities and certified by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel earlier this year, which add on the charges of “causing the disappearance of evidence” and intimidating witnesses or criminal intimidation to cause death against Nirav Modi.
Additional hearings scheduled for November 3, for the judge to rule on the admissibility of the evidence that will be presented before him, and December 1, when both sides will make their final submissions, mean his ruling on whether Modi has a case to answer before the Indian courts is expected only after the final hearing in December.
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 PNB, known as letters of undertaking (LoUs).
India, had informed the court that a number of PNB staff conspired with Modi to ensure LoUs were issued to his companies without ensuring they were subject to the required credit check, without recording the issuance of the LoUs and without charging the required commission upon the transactions that causes a huge fraud.
At a case management hearing ahead of the trial last week, Modi’s barrister Clare Montgomery had told the judge that she may be seeking a partial reporting ban on the proceedings following allegations of party political bias against one of their expert witnesses from India retired Indian High Court judge Abhay Thipsay.