Vanuatu cancels Lalit Modi’s passport amid extradition concerns

New Delhi: Prime Minister Jotham Napat of Vanuatu has directed the Citizenship Commission to initiate proceedings to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Indian businessman Lalit Modi, following recent revelations in international media. 

The decision, announced in a media release on Monday, comes days after the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Modi has filed an application with the Indian high commission in London to surrender his Indian passport.

Lalit Modi is known to have acquired citizenship of Vanuatu, a South Pacific Island nation. He left India in 2010 and is learnt to have been living in London.

The former IPL chief is wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies in connection with allegations that he was involved in embezzlement of crores of rupees during his stint as the top boss of the IPL.

In the statement, PM Napat emphasised that holding a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, not a right, and that applicants must seek citizenship for legitimate reasons. 

He highlighted that recent evidence suggests Lalit Modi’s intent was to avoid extradition, a purpose deemed incompatible with the program’s integrity. 

“None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts brought to light clearly indicate was Lalit Modi’s intention,” the Prime Minister stated.

The move comes despite standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, conducted during Lalit Modi’s application, which showed no criminal convictions. However, PM Napat revealed that Interpol twice rejected requests from Indian authorities to issue an alert notice on Lalit Modi due to a lack of substantive judicial evidence. 

“Any such alert would have triggered an automatic rejection of Lalit Modi’s citizenship application,” he added.

The Vanuatu PM claimed that his government has significantly enhanced the due diligence process for its Citizenship by Investment Programme in recent years, resulting in a marked increase in failed applications. 

PM Napat clarified that while no casualties or immediate legal proceedings have been detailed, the Citizenship Commission will proceed with the cancellation process.