Vanuatu PM Orders Cancellation Of Lalit Modi's Passport

Days after former Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi filed an application with the Indian High Commission in London to surrender his Indian passport, Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat on Monday directed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the passport issued to Modi, saying that the fugitive was attempting to avoid his extradition.

The development comes following recent revelations in international media that the former IPL chief is wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies in connection with his alleged involvement in the embezzlement of crores of rupees during his stint as the top boss of the IPL.

An official media release by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu stated, “I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Lalit Modi following recent revelations in international media. I have been made aware in the past 24 hours that Interpol twice rejected Indian authorities’ requests to issue an alert notice on Lalit Modi due to lack of substantive judicial evidence. Any such alert would have triggered an automatic rejection of Modi’s citizenship application," it read.

The release also stated that the “Prime Minister emphasised that holding a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, not a right, and applicants must seek citizenship for legitimate reasons. None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts brought to light clearly indicate was Modi’s intention," (sic), it read.

Lalit Modi, who previously served as the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), 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 unauthorised fund transfers.

Sources said Neeta Bhushan – India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, along with a few other island nations, played a key role in getting Lalit Modi’s Vanuatu passport cancelled. Modi, on March 7, submitted an application to surrender his Indian passport, and the development was later confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

“He has made an application for surrendering his passport in the high commission of India, London," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “The same will be examined in light of extant rules and procedures. We are also given the understanding that he has acquired citizenship of Vanuatu. We continue to pursue the case against him as required under law," he said.