No decision yet for extradition proceedings against Lalit Modi: Report

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate’s request for initiating extradition proceedings against former IPL chief Lalit Modi has been sent to the External Affairs Ministry.

According to a report in The Hindu, official sources in the External Affairs Ministry denied that it received any file by Friday evening from the ED.

This accounts for the possibility of dual views or some re-thinking within the government on how to proceed with the case.

Naturally, the file on Mr. Modi would have to be scrutinised by the Ministry’s consular passports and visa desk, which would then have make a decision on whether it would forward the same to authorities in the United Kingdom.

Sources have also claimed that the ED had an option to send the file requesting initiation of extradition proceedings against Lalit Modi. The move had come after the authorities in Malta turned down the agency’s request to arrest him on the basis of a warrant against him.

Earlier about four months ago, the directorate had approached the Malta agencies and shared the former IPL chief's address. The agency recently had refused to execute the arrest warrant issued by a Mumbai court.

Reports claim that the Directorate is now hoping that the Ministry would initiate extradition proceedings against Modi in the United Kingdom. The agency is pursuing a money laundering and 16 foreign exchange rule violation cases against Lalit and other former office-bearers of BCCI-IPL, involving about Rs. 2,000 crore.

Enforcement Directorate, External Affairs Ministry, Lalit Modi, United Kingdom, IPL, Malta, BCCI, Cricket news