Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought up the issue of extradition of fugitives Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi in every India-UK trade related meeting, senior Advocate Harish Salve has revealed.
The UK government is facing immense pressure from the Indian side over the pending issue of their extradition.
“The British always complain that the moment we have a meeting, the first question PM Modi asks is, where are Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi?” Salve said in an interview to Times Now.
“PM Modi has strongly told the UK government that you can’t be a trade partner and a home for fugitives at the same time,” he added.
Fugitives Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya are alleged to have defrauded public sector banks by siphoning off funds through their companies, resulting in losses worth thousands of crores to the lenders. Both are currently in the UK.
The Indian government has actively sought the extradition of Mallya and Nirav Modi to stand trial for their financial wrongdoing in India, with the two challenging the extradition in the UK courts.
Harish Salve further said that fugitive Nirav Modi is hanging by a thread and will be extradited to India soon.
The government has sought Nirav Modi since February 2018, when companies controlled by him defrauded the state-owned Punjab National Bank by using fake financial documents to get loans to buy and import jewels.
Mallya, a fugitive economic offender, is facing charges of fraud and money laundering as he owes over Rs 9,000 crore to 17 Indian banks. Mallya left India for the UK in March 2016, where he has been living ever since.
(With inputs from Shalinder Wangu)
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