5 months ago
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A London tribunal has allowed a plea by fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, wanted successful India connected fraud and wealth laundering charges, to adjourn a proceedings successful an unrelated Bank of India unpaid indebtedness lawsuit until March implicit U.K. situation delays.
The 54-year-old accused, warring extradition to India successful the estimated $2 cardinal Punjab National Bank (PNB) indebtedness scam, was shifted from Thameside situation successful South London to HMP Pentonville, North London, successful October to facilitate an quality astatine the High Court successful London.
At an online reappraisal proceeding for the $8-million Bank of India lawsuit connected Friday (December 20, 2025), Judge Simon Tinkler partially granted Mr. Nirav’s exertion to adjourn the eight-day January proceedings by a fewer weeks until March 23 adjacent year, pursuing delays by U.K. situation authorities successful providing entree to important ineligible paperwork.
“There must, successful my judgment, beryllium immoderate uncertainty arsenic to whether those papers volition ever marque their mode to Nirav Modi if they so presently inactive exist,” Justice Tinkler noted.
“It does look to maine that the lack of the disclosure bundle, successful particular, astatine a day which is present lone 4 weeks earlier a proceedings of a important magnitude of wealth does enactment Nirav Modi successful the presumption wherever I americium not satisfied that the proceedings would beryllium just were it to spell ahead.
“Accordingly, I americium proposing to assistance his exertion for an adjournment. I see, however, nary crushed for an adjournment until October,” helium ruled.
Barrister James Kinman, who appeared connected behalf of Nirav Modi, reiterated the statement from a erstwhile reappraisal proceeding earlier this period that his lawsuit would beryllium astatine a “substantial disadvantage” if the proceedings was not delayed. He besides claimed that caller Indian property reports did not supply the “full representation astatine all” implicit Nirav’s “confidential process” barring his extradition, believed to notation to an asylum exertion which reportedly concluded successful August.
“There is much to it,” helium claimed, adding that portion helium “can’t share” immoderate further details successful the matter, Nirav Modi is improbable to beryllium extradited to India earlier October 2026.
Bank of India’s barrister, Tom Beasley, argued against a lengthy adjournment to guarantee a proceedings tin instrumentality spot earlier the accused is extradited to India successful the PNB case.
“Modi is prepared to trust connected it [confidential process barring extradition], without giving immoderate detail,” helium said. Mr. Beasley reiterated that it would beryllium “very hard” to behaviour a due proceedings successful the Bank of India lawsuit if the accused were extradited retired of the U.K. jurisdiction.
Nirav Modi's displacement betwixt the 2 prisons, some Category B men's prisons for comparatively low-risk convicts, has caused sizeable complications successful the case. Justice Tinkler stressed successful his ruling that the situation authorities indispensable comply with their obligations to guarantee the prisoner’s entree to documents successful mentation for his defence.
Nirav Modi besides failed to beryllium produced for the virtual proceeding owed to a connection mistake betwixt the tribunal and situation officials.
Bank of India, represented by RWK Goodman, is pursuing the diamantaire’s idiosyncratic warrant related to a indebtedness to Dubai-incorporated Firestar Diamond FZE.
Nirav Modi has chosen to correspond himself arsenic a “Litigant successful Person” successful the substance and is present the sole witnesser successful the case, having missed the deadline to depose an Indian instrumentality expert.
Meanwhile, Nirav Modi has been down bars successful London since his extradition-related apprehension successful March 2019 and is presently said to beryllium sharing a cramped compartment wherever helium is “forced to enactment from his lap”.
Earlier this week, Lord Jeremy Stuart-Smith and Justice Robert Jay presided implicit a proceeding astatine the Royal Courts of Justice successful London to see his exertion to reopen the extradition lawsuit connected the grounds that helium faced hazard of torture successful India.
That proceeding has besides been adjourned to March-April 2026 aft the Indian authorities submitted “chunky assurances” to antagonistic Nirav Modi’s claim.
It besides emerged successful tribunal connected Tuesday (December 16, 2025) that a “confidential process” related to a ineligible barroom to the extradition, believed to beryllium an unconfirmed asylum exertion heard separately, had presumably concluded successful nonaccomplishment successful August.
There are 3 sets of transgression proceedings against him successful India — the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lawsuit of PNB fraud, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) lawsuit relating to the alleged laundering of the proceeds of that fraud, and a 3rd acceptable of transgression proceedings involving alleged interference with grounds and witnesses successful the CBI proceedings.
In April 2021, past U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel had ordered his extradition to look these charges successful the Indian courts aft a prima facie lawsuit was established against him. Nirav Modi has since made respective unsuccessful appeals and bail applications.
