Nearly seventeen months after fugitive billionaire diamantaire and prime accused in the Rs 14,000 crore PNB scam, Nirav Modi fled from India, he has been finally arrested in London. While this endeavour is being seen as a major diplomatic win for the government, Congress’ senior leader, Gulam Nabi Azad, following Congress’ etiquettes, used this accomplishment to downplay the BJP government.
Trying to de-emphasize Modi Government persistent efforts to bring back the fugitive to India, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that Nirav Modi’s arrest was an attempt by the NDA government to win the Lok Sabha Elections. “Modi government had sent Nirav Modi outside India, now it is bringing him to win elections,” Azad furthered. He also said that once the elections are over, government will send him back.
भाजपा सरकार का भेजा हुआ था नीरव मोदी इसलिए लेकर वापस आ रहे ये लोग : गुलाम नबी आज़ाद pic.twitter.com/TE57fokMz7
— News18 India (@News18India) March 20, 2019
This is a bizarre allegation because Nirav Modi has been arrested on the orders of a UK court, on which India or BJP don’t have any influence. ED had filed an application for extradition of Nirav Modi with UK govt, and the UK govt forwarded the matter to Westminster Magistrate Court for further proceedings. It is very dishonest to suggest that BJP has an influence over the court in the UK.
Moreover, with the arrest of Nirav Modi, a long judicial process to extradite him has begun in UK, and it may take several months or even years to complete, taking the Vijay Mallya’s extradition process as a benchmark. Mallya is still in the UK although the court has cleared his extradition and UK govt has also approved the same. By saying that Nirav Modi will be brought to India before elections, Ghulam Nabi Azad is being extremely optimistic.
It may be noted that before today’s arrest of Nirav Modi, Ghulam Nabi Azad was demanding that Nirav Modi should be arrested and brought back to India. Now when the arrest has been made and an important step has been taken in his extradition, the Congress leader thinks it is being done for election.
Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Hilarious U-Turn
2018- Challenged Modi to arrest Nirav Modi
*After Arrest*
2019- Nirav Modi arrested to help BJP?????? pic.twitter.com/xkNbnuZQzt
— चौकीदार अंकुर सिंह (@iAnkurSingh) March 20, 2019
According to the latest media reports, Nirav Modi was arrested from his 8-million-pound apartment by local police. He will be produced in Westminster court later today. The provisional arrest warrant against the billionaire, who was recently spotted on the streets of London was issued by the Westminster Magistrate Court.
On March 18, the court had issued an arrest warrant against Nirav Modi in response to a request by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his extradition from the UK in a money laundering case.
In another development of the case, today ED also got permission from a Mumbai court to auction 11 cars belonging to Nirav Modi, which includes marquee brands like Rolls Royce, Porsche, Mercedes and Toyota Fortuner etc.
Nirav Modi, his wife Ami Modi, brother Nishal Modi, and uncle Mehul Choksi are accused defrauding Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 14,356 crore by obtaining Letter of Undertaking without furnishing any guarantee. Mehul Choksi is living in Antigua, having taken citizenship of the country.
