LONDON: Fugitive diamond magnate, Nirav Modi accused in the Punjab National Bank fraud and money laundering case suffered another setback as the High Court in London on Thursday denied approving the appeal against his extradition orders. The order was pronounced by Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart- Smith and Justice Robert Jay at the London High Court. Additionally, the jury also imposed fines of more than Euros 150,000.
“The Appellant’s (Nirav Modi) application for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court is refused”, the bench said refused Modi’s application to certify a “point of law of general public importance”. This is the second time the extradition appeal has been rejected. A month ago, Nirav Modi lost the appeal on mental health grounds as the judges ruled out the risk of suicide.
Judge Jeremy mentioned that Nirav Modi would be kept safe at Arthur Road jail in Mumbai where he would be lodged after being extradited. The judges said that the verdict by District Judge Sam Goozee’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court order from last year in favor of extradition was “sound”.
Nirav Modi and Mehul Chkosi are the two prime accused in the multi-crore bank fraud case. They are facing a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Modi remains behind bars at Wandsworth Prison in London since his arrest on an extradition warrant in March 2019.