IPL cases against Lalit Modi to be finalised soon

New Delhi: Investigating agencies will soon finalise cases of alleged financial irregularities against former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi in various editions of T20 cricket tournament, notwithstanding their failure to get him back to India.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has nine cases of alleged foreign exchange violations registered against Modi and others, is expected to finalise the notices and penalties in these cases without the direct questioning of the man who was considered to be the most vital person in this probe. Sources in the Revenue department of the Finance Ministry said their counterparts in the United Kingdom have not been able to provide them help in his deportation as they contend that the charges against Modi are of civil nature. "The agencies under the Revenue department, both the ED and the Income Tax department, will now finalise their reports despite pending requests with the UK authorities in this regard," sources privy to the development said. Modi`s legal representatives said Modi is lawfully residing in UK as a visitor. "In so far as ED investigations are concerned, the ED has concluded its investigations and Mr Modi is participating in the proceedings through his lawyers. "...Modi is only a co-noticee along with BCCI President, Secretary and Treasurer of BCCI being alleged to be vicariously responsible," Modi`s General Counsel and Constituted Attorney Mehmood Abdi said. He dismissed speculation that Modi was seeking asylum abroad. The sources said that international treaties help in the deportation of any citizen if there is a pending criminal case against him or her but while the foreign exchange case against Modi is of a civil nature, a passport revocation case is under litigation as of now. The Finance Ministry, in 2012, had written to the External Affairs Ministry pointing out that Modi continues to stay in the UK for a long time even though his passport has been revoked. The matter is, however, sub-judice. It had asked the Foreign Ministry to take the help of British authorities to get Modi back to India but there has been no final word on these communications between the agencies. The request by the Finance Ministry had been made on the plea of the ED which had got revoked Modi`s Passport in 2010. The agency has already slapped a number of notices on Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises worth hundreds of crores and only a few cases of them now remain to be finalised.