Nirav Modi's sister approved to be prosecution witness in the jeweller's case

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jan 7, 2021

As jewellery tycoon Nirav Modi remains in UK custody, a special court in India has allowed his sister Purvi Modi to become an ‘approver’ (prosecution witness) in the case.

On January 4, Prevention of Money Laundering Act special judge, V C Barde, accepted Purvi Modi’s plea to become an 'approver' in the Nirav Modi criminal case in India. The order was made available on Tuesday.  
 
The court stated that the, “position of the accused (Purvi Modi) in this case after tender of pardon is that she shall be marked as approver,” the Press Trust of India reported.

Purvi Modi is a Belgian national and is herself an accused in the case, which relates to alleged fraud at the Punjab National Bank. Nirav Modi’s uncle and fellow jewellery tycoon, Mehul Choksi, is also an accused in the case along with a number of others.
 
Purvi Modi told the court in her application to be pardoned in the case that she has only been attributed a limited role in the case by investigating authorities. She also said that she has cooperated with the Enforcement Directorate and that her close proximity to Nirav Modi means she can provide substantial evidence in the case, including access to bank accounts. 
 
Nirav Modi is currently in UK police custody and Indian authorities are working to extradite him to India to stand trial. The fraud in which Modi is accused is one of the largest in India’s banking history.