Nirav Modi's sister sends Rs 17.25 crore from UK account to Indian govt: ED

The ED on Thursday said fugitive businessman Nirav Modi's sister has "remitted" over Rs 17 crore from a UK bank account to that of the Indian government after she was allowed pardon from criminal proceedings in lieu of extending help in the PNB loan fraud case.

New Delhi:Purvi Modi, sister Indian fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, remitted an amount of USD 23,16,889.03 from a UK bank account to the bank account of the Government of India, Directorate of Enforcement (ED), the ED said. In an official statement on Thursday, the department said the ED was able to recover approximately Rs 17.25 cr (USD 2316889.03) from the proceeds of crime with the help of Purvi Modi.

"As Purvi Modi was allowed tender of pardon on conditions of making full and true disclosure, Purvi Modi remitted an amount of USD 2316889.03 from her UK Bank account to the bank account of Government of India, Directorate of Enforcement. With the cooperation of Purvi Modi, the Directorate of Enforcement was able to recover approx. Rs.17.25 Crore (USD 2316889.03) from the proceeds of crime," it said.

Last week, the UK High Court rejected a plea by fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi against his extradition to India to face charges of defrauding Punjab National Bank (PNB) of more than Rs 13,000 crore. In a major blow to the fugitive diamond billionaire, the court refused to consider Nirav Modi's written application to overturn a lower court, meaning that his lawyers will now have to make oral submissions to the court. London's Westminster Magistrate's Court in February ruled that there were sufficient grounds for Nirav Modi to be sent back to India to face charges brought by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Read:Economic offenders to be extradited at earliest: UK assures India

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel signed off on his extradition on April 15. Nirav Modi is currently held at Wandsworth prison in South London where he has been lodged since his arrest in London in March 2019 in connection with the largest bank fraud perpetrated in India. The 50-year-old, once the jeweller to some of the biggest and glamorous names in Bollywood and Hollywood, along with his uncle Mehul Choksi are accused of colluding with officials at PNB for the issuance of fraudulent lines of credit. Nirav Modi is also accused of subsequently intimidating witnesses and tampering with evidence.

The UK High Court's decision comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that it had seized assets worth thousands of crores belonging Nirav Modi and Choksi in India. The ED on Wednesday transferred seized assets worth Rs 9,371.17 crore in cases related to Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and Choksi, to public sector banks and central government. Assets worth Rs 18,170.02 crore have so far been seized by the ED.

Read:Nirav Modi renews UK extradition appeal, to be heard on July 21

PTI