London. In a major blow to diamond businessman Nirav Modi, the London High Court has rejected his plea to postpone the case related to the outstanding loan of Bank of India (BOI). Fugitive Nirav Modi had sought postponement of the hearing citing blindness, depression and prison conditions, but the court did not accept it.
Let us tell you here that 54-year-old Nirav Modi is facing extradition to India in a fraud and money laundering case of about two billion US dollars related to Punjab National Bank (PNB). He is lodged in HMP Pentonville prison in north London and appeared for a pre-trial review via video link in a separate case involving the nearly US$800 million Bank of India loan. Justice Simon Tinkler, who is hearing the case, said Nirav Modi would not suffer any “significant harm” in the trial and would get a level playing field in the eight-day trial starting on March 23. The court remarked that the petition appeared to be part of a delay strategy.
Barrister James Kinman, appearing for Nirav Modi, argued that he did not get adequate access to legal documents after his transfer from HMP Thameside prison in south London. He told that Modi has lost 60 percent of his eyesight and is suffering from clinical depression. However, Bank of India’s barrister Tom Beasley opposed the last-minute petition.
Nirav is in British jail since 2019
Nirav Modi is in jail in Britain since March 2019. In India, three cases of fraud, money laundering and evidence tampering are pending against him by CBI and ED. In April 2021, Britain’s then Home Minister Preeti Patel had ordered his extradition, against which many of his appeals have been rejected so far.