A UK court February 25 ruled that diamantaire Nirav Modi could be extradited to India to stand trial, stating a prima facie case has been established against him and that he has a “case to answer for in India”. Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are accused of routing transactions of about Rs 13,600 crore through fraudulent Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) of Punjab National Bank (PNB). Both men left India in the first week of January 2018, weeks before the scam was revealed.
In its order, the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London ruled that Modi “conspired to destroy evidence and intimidate witnesses”. The extradition judge said that Barrack 12 at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai is fit for Modi and that he would not be denied justice after his extradition to India.
On arguments made by Modi’s lawyers that he suffers from severe depression, the extradition judge ruled that such symptoms are not unusual in a man in his circumstances. He further ruled that Modi would be given adequate medical treatment and mental health care in the jail.