A Mumbai-based Prevention of Money Laundering Act Court on Wednesday permitted the Enforcement Directorate to issue a Letter of Request to extradite former Indian Premier League chairperson Lalit Modi to India from the United Kingdom, PTI reported.
The Enforcement Directorate had moved the Special Court seeking permission to initiate Modi’s extradition process. The agency said the non-bailable warrant against Modi could not be executed as he was reportedly in the United Kingdom.
The agency’s counsel Hiten Venegaonkar said, “If the court allows the application, it will be sent to the Ministry of External Affairs in India which in turn will send it to the foreign ministry in UK to be forwarded to the local court, as is the process under mutual legal assistance treaty.”
The ED said it had tried initiating the extradition process against absconding industrialist Vijay Mallya through the Ministry of External Affairs, but it yielded no results. On November 8, India had asked the United Kingdom, where Mallya has been residing, to extradite the industrialist under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty as he is owes around Rs 9,000 crore to 17 banks in India.
The former cricket administrator is facing charges of money laundering. ED had sought a Red Corner Notice against Modi from Interpol in connection with a case registered against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The case is based on a criminal complaint filed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 2010, accusing Modi for misappropriating funds amounting to Rs 470 crore during his term as IPL chief. The Chennai Police had registered a case against him and six others.
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