Vanuatu cancels Lalit Modi’s passport

New Delhi, Mar 10: The Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Jotham Napat, has ordered the cancellation of a passport issued to Lalit Modi, the former head of the Indian Premier League (IPL), who is wanted in India for corruption charges.

The decision comes after reports suggested that Modi, who has been living in the UK since 2010, obtained Vanuatu’s citizenship to avoid extradition. Lalit Modi played a key role in launching the IPL in 2008, a cricket tournament that quickly became a multi-billion-dollar industry. During his time as IPL chairman, he was a well-known figure in India, frequently seen with celebrities and business leaders.

However, in 2010, he was accused of financial misconduct, including rigging the auction of two IPL teams and misusing broadcasting rights. That same year, he left India for London, where he has been living ever since. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned him from cricket for life in 2013, and authorities have been trying to bring him back to face legal action.

However, multiple attempts to extradite him from the UK have failed. On March 7, Modi applied to surrender his Indian passport at the Indian High Commission in London. Shortly after, the ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that he had acquired citizenship of Vanuatu. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India would continue to pursue the case against Modi under the law.

However, at the time, the government had not yet commented on whether his new citizenship would affect ongoing legal proceedings. Vanuatu, a small Pacific island nation made up of over 80 islands and a population of around three lakh offers citizenship to foreign investors through a scheme known as the “Citizenship by Investment” program. It allows individuals to obtain a passport by making a financial contribution to the country.

Modi was granted citizenship under this scheme, as background checks at the time did not reveal any criminal convictions. However, India has been pursuing legal action against Modi, and recent media reports raised concerns that he may have sought Vanuatu citizenship to avoid extradition.

The country does not have an extradition treaty with India, making it difficult for Indian authorities to bring him back. Three days after MEA confirmed Modi’s Vanuatu citizenship, Prime Minister Vanuatu announced that his government would cancel his passport. He emphasized that Vanuatu citizenship should be granted for “legitimate reasons” and not as a way to escape extradition.