Delays expected in Nirav Modi extradition case

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 31, 2019

Accused jeweller Nirav Modi’s extradition case could take months to get started as Modi’s representative Clare Montgomery QC suggested an extradition hearing in February 2020 at his first case management hearing on Thursday.

Modi attended his first case management hearing in London, UK, on May 30 as Indian authorities work to extradite him to India to stand trial for fraud at the Punjab National Bank. At the hearing, the Indian government’s barrister stated that the team needs eight weeks to produce the “opening note” for the Modi case, TNN reported. This would push back the entire case timeline.

Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot led the case management hearing and decided to set the date for the next case hearing for July 29. Arbuthnot stated that she would like to fix a date for the extradition trial at the next hearing. Arbuthnot also gave the Crown Prosecution Service 14 days to confirm the Indian prison in which Modi would be held should he be extradited.

Montgomery advocated for a delayed timeline for the case and said she needed six months to ready her defence of Modi. “It’s not sensible to set directions other than those which would allow a much longer period than the current timetable,”. She said at the hearing, as reported by TNN. 

Modi, who is accused of playing a lead role in a Rs 13,500 crore ($2 billion) fraud at the PNB, is scheduled to take part in a video-hearing on June 27 as the next step in the case.