Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi's bail plea rejected

Mar 30, 2019

London (United Kingdom), Mar 30 (ANI): Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi's bail plea was rejected by the Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday (local time). The next hearing is scheduled for April 26. This is the second time that Nirav Modi's bail plea has been rejected. His first request was turned down on March 20. Judge Marie Mallon had cited the "high value of amount involved in the allegations" as the reason behind the rejection of his first bail plea. During the hearing, Toby Chadman, who is representing the Crown prosecution on behalf of the Indian authorities argued that Nirav Modi may destroy evidence and try to bribe and threaten potential witnesses if granted bail. Cadman said that considering the scale of the fraud and the likely sentence that Nirav Modi would face, the fugitive businessman should not be granted bail. He added that there's a real danger that he would flee justice. Nirav Modi's attorney Claire Montgomery argued that the businessman has a right to bail, despite the magnitude of the numbers. She argued that Modi is not a "threat" and has no connections with the "underworld." India is seeking Nirav Modi's extradition to make him face the law of the land for allegedly committing economic offences like fraud and money laundering to the tune of US $ 2 billion. A joint team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials arrived here on March 28 for the hearing.