New Delhi: Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairperson Lalit Modi was in for a rude shock Monday when the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu publicly revoked his citizenship.
Modi had last week put in a plea at the Indian High Commission in London to surrender his Indian passport, as he had acquired citizenship of Vanuatu under a “citizenship by investment” programme.
In India, he is wanted for alleged financial irregularities and had fled the country in 2010.
“The former IPL chairman, who is labelled an economic offender by Indian authorities, had wished to surrender his Indian passport following the acquisition of Vanuatuan citizenship,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a public briefing last week.
In an official statement Monday, Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat said he had instructed the Citizenship Commission to initiate proceedings to cancel Modi’s passport.
“As Prime Minister, we will not harbour fugitives or criminals. We have zero tolerance for those seeking to use our citizenship programme to evade justice. If that is your intention, I strongly advise you to look elsewhere,” the statement read.
Napat clarified that while standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, had been conducted for Modi’s citizenship application, new information came to light regarding the Indian government’s attempts to seek an alert notice on Modi through Interpol.
These requests were rejected by the global police agency twice, citing a lack of substantive judicial evidence. However, had these requests been approved, they would have automatically blocked Modi’s citizenship application under Vanuatu’s strict immigration protocols, it added.
The PM asserted that Vanuatu’s citizenship is a privilege, not a right, and applicants must have legitimate reasons for seeking to become a citizen, and condemned any attempt to use the nation’s “citizenship by investment” programme to avoid extradition.
“None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts brought to light clearly indicate was Mr Modi’s intention,” the statement read.
Believed to be living in London, Modi is under the scanner for foreign exchange rule violations, tax fraud and a controversial television rights deal during IPL 2009 worth Rs 425 crore with World Sports Group. He was then the chairman of the franchise.
Under probe since 2010, Modi had fled India after reportedly attending just one interrogation session with the Enforcement Directorate and income tax officials in Mumbai. Indian authorities are continuing to pursue legal action against him.
He made a formal application to revoke his Indian citizenship on 7 March, according to MEA officials. Jaiswal confirmed in his briefing that Modi’s request to surrender his Indian passport was being reviewed under legal procedures.
“He has filed an application for surrendering his passport at the High Commission of India, London. The same will be examined in light of extant rules and procedures. We are also given to understand that he has acquired citizenship of Vanuatu. We are pursuing the case against him as required under law,” Jaiswal had said.
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Vanuatu citizenship
The Vanuatu government’s decision on Modi’s citizenship comes amid growing international focus on its “citizenship by investment” programme.
The country, located in the southern Pacific Ocean, offers one of the most affordable pathways to citizenship, with single applicants required to make a non-refundable contribution of approximately $155,000 (Rs 1.3 crore).
While the programme has attracted many seeking peaceful relocation, Vanuatu has made it clear that it will not tolerate misuse of this procedure.
The Government of Vanuatu has significantly strengthened the due diligence aspect of its Citizenship by Investment Programme over the past four years, resulting in a marked increase in applications failing the enhanced scrutiny undertaken by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit, according to Monday’s statement.
“The improved process implemented several years ago includes triple-agency checks, including Interpol verification. We acknowledge that the individual at the centre of this matter faces allegations that have yet to be proven in court, and we wish him well in addressing these matters. However, he will not be facing them as a Vanuatu citizen,” it added.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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