Nirav Modi’s Remand Extended By UK Court Till March 24 In PNB Fraud Case

London:

A UK courtroom on Thursday prolonged the remand of fugitive diamond service provider Nirav Modi, who’s combating his extradition to India within the just about USD-2 billion Punjab Nationwide Financial institution (PNB) fraud and cash laundering case, until March 24.

Mr Modi seemed by way of videolink from Wandsworth Jail in south-west London for the listening to at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Thursday, which coincidentally additionally marked his 49th birthday in line with the date of beginning he has showed to the courtroom.

“A tribulation has been set in Might. The aim of nowadays’s listening to is to set the following call-over listening to, which might be on March 24,” mentioned Pass judgement on David Robinson.

Mr Modi’s extradition trial is scheduled for 5 days beginning Might 11, with the case control hearings within the topic set to start as soon as all of the proof has been passed in to the courtroom for the trial.

The diamond service provider had made a last-ditch bail software in November final yr with an “extraordinary” space arrest ensure, akin to these imposed on terrorist suspects, in addition to bringing up psychological well being problems from being in the back of bars at Wandsworth since his arrest in March 2019.

However the bail plea used to be became down via Leader Justice of the Peace Emma Arbuthnot over persevered fears of witness intimidation and failure to give up prior to the courtroom for his extradition trial this yr.

The UK’s Crown Prosecution Provider (CPS), which represents the Indian govt within the extradition lawsuits, mentioned the chance of an attraction for bail in the next courtroom has been exhausted because the UK Top Court had already became down Mr Modi’s plea previous final yr.

Mr Modi is predicted to look for “call-over” hearings each and every 28 days at Westminster Magistrates’ Court till the case control hearings for his extradition trial kick in.

He denies the fees of fraud and cash laundering and his defence crew, led via barrister Hugo Keith, has claimed that the Indian govt has wrongly “blackened” Mr Modi’s identify as a “world-class schemer”.

As a part of the trade in cases required for a recent bail software, Mr Modi’s attorneys had introduced to double the bail bond safety introduced to the courtroom, from the former GBP 2 million to GBP four million.

They’d additionally knowledgeable the courtroom of assaults on their shopper from fellow inmates at considered one of England’s maximum overcrowded prisons.

Mr Modi has been in the back of bars at Wandsworth since his arrest on March 19 on an extradition warrant performed via Scotland Backyard on fees introduced via the Indian govt.

Right through next hearings, the UK courtroom has been advised that Mr Modi used to be the “essential beneficiary” of the fraudulent issuance of letters of enterprise (LoUs) as a part of a conspiracy to defraud PNB after which laundering the proceeds of crime.

His extradition trial is scheduled between Might 11 and 15 this yr.