Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has sent an official team to London for discussion with the British authorities on extradition of Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi, the defaulters of loans from various banks; and
(b) if so, the details thereof and the progress made in this regard, so far?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI M. J. AKBAR)
(a) & (b) Pursuant to India-UK Extradition Treaty, a formal request for extradition of Mr. Vijay Mallya was forwarded to the UK authorities on 9th February 2017 through diplomatic channels. On 2nd/3rd May 2017, a team led by the Additional Director, CBI and comprising officers from CBI and Enforcement Directorate visited London and provided additional documents in support of the extradition request and answered the queries raised by the concerned UK authorities. The case is pending adjudication before the Westminster Magistrate’s Court, London. Extradition hearings are scheduled to commence from 4th December 2017.
Regarding Mr. Lalit Modi, the Central Crime Branch, Tamil Nadu police registered an FIR on 13 October 2010 against Mr. Lalit Modi. On the basis of criminal investigations initiated by Tamil Nadu police, a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) was registered by the Enforcement Directorate. Further, at the request of the Enforcement Directorate, Mr. Lalit Modi’s passport was revoked by Regional Passport Office, Mumbai on 3 March 2011 which was later restored to him on the directions of Hon’ble Delhi High Court. In November 2012, the Government of UK was formally requested to deport Mr. Lalit Modi to India. The UK Government vide their message dated 21 December 2012 denied our request citing their domestic laws. However, the UK side suggested India to submit a request under the usual mechanism for international judicial cooperation.
Accordingly, the Enforcement Directorate got issued a Letter of Request (LR) by the Special Court, PMLA, Mumbai for the execution of the Non-Bailable Warrant on Mr. Lalit Modi and his consequent transfer to India in terms of the relevant provisions contained under the PMLA, 2002 and the India-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) on criminal matters. The said Letter of Request was forwarded to the competent authorities in UK on 6 February 2017. However, a formal response from the UK side in this regard is still awaited. The Ministry of External Affairs has not received any formal request for extradition Mr. Lalit Modi from the concerned law enforcement agencies in India.