Nirav Modi’s custody extended till Aug 27, trial begins in Sep

London: A court in London on Thursday extended the custody of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi till August 27 after he appeared for the regular remand hearing, via videolink.

Wanted in India in connection with the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, he was arrested by the Scotland Yard in March 2019 on an extradition warrant by India over charges of fraud and money laundering.

Nirav Modi appeared via videolink before District Judge Vanessa Baraitser at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London for a regular 28-day “call-over” hearing. He was told by the court that the next hearing in the case will be a case management hearing ahead of a trial set for five days from September 7.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking Nirav Modi’s extradition to India, are being represented by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the UK. The fugitive businessman has applied for political asylum in UK after he was denied bail five times.

Last month, the ED confiscated the fugitive diamantaire’s properties worth Rs 329.66 crore in Mumbai, Rajasthan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the UK. The movable and immovable assets were seized under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.

The assets included four flats at Samudra Mahal, the iconic building in south Mumbai’s Worli, a seaside farm house and land in Alibaug, a wind mill in Jaisalmer, a flat in London, some flats in the UAE, shares and bank deposits. On December 5, 2019, the court declared him a fugitive economic offender.

IANS

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