Get Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!
‘Beautiful ocean in a beautiful country’: Lalit Modi posts from Vanuatu as PM Napat orders cancellation of passport
- Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat on Monday directed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the passport issued to Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi, saying that the fugitive was attempting to avoid his extradition.
Lalit Modi shared an Instagram post featuring himself with his arms spread, wearing a white linen shirt paired with khaki pants, set against the stunning backdrop of an ocean, captioning it “Beautiful ocean in a beautiful country”. The location of the image was set in Vanuatu, South Pacific. The Instagram post comes even as the IPL founder's Vanuatu citizenship hangs in limbo over recent orders from the island nation's prime Minister Jotham Napat.
Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat directed the Citizenship Commission on Monday to cancel the passport issued to Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi, saying that the fugitive was attempting to avoid his extradition.
Vanuatu is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean, specifically an archipelago of 83 islands northeast of Australia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands.
See Lalit Modi's Instagram Post Here
PM Jotham Napat Orders Cancellation of Lalit Modi's Citizenship
On March 7, Lalit Modi filed an application with the Indian High Commission in London to surrender his Indian passport. It was reported that Lalit Modi had acquired citizenship of Vanuatu, a South Pacific Island nation. He left India in 2010 and is said to have been living in London.
An official media release by the Republic of Vanuatu conveyed the message of PM Jotham Napat, “I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Lalit Modi following recent revelations in international media.”
“While all standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, conducted during his application showed no criminal convictions, I have been made aware in the past 24 hours that Interpol twice rejected Indian authorities' requests to issue an alert notice on Lalit Modi due to lack of substantive judicial evidence,” the statement said.
Napat said any such “alert” would have triggered an automatic rejection of Lalit Modi's citizenship application.
“None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts brought to light clearly indicate was Modi’s intention,” the statement said.
Lalit Modi Says Vanuatu Citizenship Commission Await Court Verdict
Shortly after PM Jotham Napat asked the Citizenship Commission to cancel Lalit Modi's citizenship, the IPL founder shared a post on social media, referencing a news report that suggested the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission would delay its decision on his citizenship status until the outcome of a court case.
Citing VBTC News, Lalit Modi quoted from the report and posted, “The chairman of the Vanuatu Citizenship Commission said his office would wait for the outcome of the court before making a decision on Mr Lalit Modi as a Ni-Vanuatu.”
Lalit Modi Surrenders Indian Passport
Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Lalit Modi had filed an application with the Indian High Commission in London to surrender his Indian passport.
If Lalit Modi's request for the cancellation of his Indian passport is accepted, then he may become an illegal resident in the UK, as Vanuatu has also been ordered to cancel his citizenship.
Lalit Modi, the former IPL chief, is wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for his alleged involvement in the embezzlement of crores of rupees during his tenure. He fled India in 2010 while under investigation for financial misconduct, including unauthorised fund transfers.
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Business NewsNews‘Beautiful ocean in a beautiful country’: Lalit Modi posts from Vanuatu as PM Napat orders cancellation of passport
First Published:10 Mar 2025, 06:10 PM IST
- Top Gainers
- Top Losers
- 52 Week High