Vanuatu Revokes Citizenship of Fugitive Ex-IPL Chief Lalit Modi
Vanuatu's Prime Minister cancels the passport of former Indian Premier League (IPL) boss Lalit Modi, wanted in India for corruption charges.
The government of Vanuatu has revoked the citizenship of Indian businessman Lalit Modi, who is facing corruption charges in India. The decision came just days after New Delhi confirmed that Mr Modi had acquired a Vanuatu passport.
Mr Modi, the former head of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is accused of rigging bids for team franchises and unauthorized sale of broadcasting rights. He has denied all allegations and has been living in the UK since 2010, evading multiple extradition attempts by Indian authorities.
Vanuatu Cancels Modi’s Citizenship
On Monday, Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat announced that Mr Modi’s citizenship had been revoked. He emphasized that obtaining a Vanuatu passport is a “privilege” granted for legitimate reasons, not for evading extradition.
A government statement revealed that background checks and Interpol screenings during Modi’s passport application showed no criminal convictions. However, new information indicated that Interpol had twice rejected India’s requests for an alert notice against Modi, citing insufficient judicial evidence. If such an alert had existed, his citizenship application would have been automatically denied.
India’s Reaction and Modi’s Response
India’s foreign ministry acknowledged Modi’s Vanuatu citizenship last week. Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that Modi had recently applied to surrender his Indian passport in London.
Following the revocation of his Vanuatu passport, Modi took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to assert that no cases were pending against him in India and accused the media of spreading “fake news.”
Modi’s Controversial IPL Legacy
Lalit Modi was the driving force behind the launch of the IPL in 2008, transforming it into a lucrative global cricket league. However, his tenure was marred by allegations of financial misconduct. In 2013, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) imposed a lifetime ban on him, barring him from any cricket-related activities.
The revocation of his Vanuatu citizenship could be a positive development for Indian authorities. Unlike the UK, Vanuatu does not have an extradition treaty with India, meaning Modi’s move to the Pacific nation may have been an attempt to further evade legal proceedings.
With his Vanuatu passport now revoked, his next steps remain uncertain.
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