The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said fugitive businessman Nirav Modi will be extradited to India once the ongoing judicial proceedings against him in the United Kingdom are completed. The government reiterated its commitment to bringing back all economic offenders who have fled the country to face trial.

Addressing a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said legal proceedings involving the fugitive diamantaire remain pending in the UK and that India is closely monitoring the case.

Extradition Dependent on UK Legal Proceedings

“As far as Nirav Modi is concerned, as we’ve said before, legal proceedings are ongoing in the UK. Once that judicial process concludes, his extradition will happen. We are following those legal proceedings. From our side, the Indian government is committed to ensuring all fugitives return to India and face the judicial process here,” Jaiswal said.

Nirav Modi has been lodged in a prison in London since 2019 and is wanted in India by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged multi-billion-dollar Punjab National Bank fraud case.

He is currently pursuing legal remedies before the European Court of Human Rights in an attempt to prevent his extradition to India.

UK Court Orders Payment to Bank of India

Last month, Nirav Modi suffered another legal setback when the London Circuit Commercial Court directed him to pay more than USD 10.7 million to Bank of India.

The court held him personally liable for a loan extended to a Dubai-based company of the Firestar Group after finding that he had provided a personal guarantee for the borrowing.

MEA Responds to Priti Patel’s Remarks

Jaiswal’s comments came in response to recent remarks by former UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, who reportedly claimed that Nirav Modi’s extradition had been delayed because India was unwilling to accept illegal immigrants deported from the United Kingdom.

Responding to the claim, the MEA said India follows a well-established procedure for accepting individuals facing deportation from foreign countries.

“With any country, there is a procedure we follow: whenever a person needs to be deported from there, there’s a process for nationality verification. We receive the necessary documents, establish the person’s citizenship, and then complete the process for their return to India. This is the standard procedure that we have always followed,” Jaiswal said.

Priti Patel, a senior leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, served as the country’s Home Secretary between 2019 and 2022.

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