In London court, ED flags Nirav Modi role in evidence destruction

Indian Express

22-05-2025

OBJECTING TO the bail application of diamond merchant Nirav Modi, the Enforcement Directorate alleged in a London High Court that he was criminally responsible for actions in which witnesses were interfered with and evidence was destroyed.
Modi's bail application was rejected by the High Court of Justice, King's Bench Division in London last week, with the judge saying that there were substantial grounds for believing that if released on bail, he would fail to surrender and his 'risk of absconding remained high'.
This was the tenth time Modi had applied for bail since his detention in the extradition case to India to face charges in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering scam amounting to Rs 6,498 crore.
In his order, passed on May 15 at the Royal Courts of Justice, Justice Michael Fordham said, 'I want to return to the question of the underlying allegations to identify one part of the case against the applicant in the Indian criminal proceedings. Part of what is alleged is that he was criminally responsible for actions in which witnesses were interfered with and evidence was destroyed. The evidence which was evaluated by the earlier court included what is alleged to have occurred in March 2018.
People who are said to have been dummy directors were moved from Dubai to Cairo and their mobile phones are said to have been removed and destroyed. Also said to have been destroyed was evidence on a computer server in Dubai in February 2018.'
'…All of that would have taken place at the time when the applicant (Modi) was here in the UK. And I repeat, after careful evaluation, UK courts have twice concluded that there is an evidenced prima facie case against the applicant,' the order said.
'Notwithstanding that presumption, I have concluded – based on an objective assessment of risk – that the grant of bail in this case is not justified. To the contrary, I find that there are substantial grounds for believing that, if released by me on bail on the proposed conditions or any conditions that this court can properly devise, the applicant would fail to surrender. There are substantial grounds for believing that, if released on bail conditions, the applicant would interfere with witnesses,' the judge said in his order.
Nirav Modi has remained at Thameside prison in London since his arrest in March 2019.
Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security.
Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat.
During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More