Vanuatu begins proceedings to cancel Lalit Modi’s passport

In fresh trouble for Lalit Modi, Vanuatu Prime Minister, Jotham Napat, on Monday issued an order to cancel the passport of the Indian fugitive businessman and cricket administrator. This development comes just days after the founder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) acquired Vanuatu citizenship and filed an application at the Indian High Commission in London to surrender his Indian passport.

In a strongly-worded statement, Prime Minister Napat directed the Citizenship Commission to initiate proceedings to cancel Modi's passport.

"While all standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, conducted during his application showed no criminal convictions, I have been made aware in the past 24 hours that Interpol twice rejected Indian authorities' requests to issue an alert notice for Mr. Modi due to the lack of substantive judicial evidence. Any such alert would have triggered an automatic rejection of Mr. Modi's citizenship application," Prime Minister Napat stated.

He emphasized that holding a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, not a right, and applicants must seek citizenship for legitimate reasons. "None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts clearly suggest was Mr. Modi's intention," he added.

Regarding the Citizenship by Investment Programme, the Prime Minister explained that the Vanuatu government has strengthened its due diligence processes over the last four years. This has led to a significant increase in failed applications after enhanced scrutiny by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit. The improved process now includes triple agency checks and Interpol verification.

In an interview, Lalit Modi's lawyer, Mehmood Abdi, confirmed that Modi had applied to surrender his Indian passport after acquiring Vanuatu citizenship. Abdi asserted that there is no case against the former IPL chairman, stating, "All the cases that are being discussed over the past 18 years have not led to any charges. No court has charged him, and no agency has filed a chargesheet."

Lalit Modi, agreeing with his lawyer’s statement, posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "No court of law in India has a case pending against me personally. It’s only media fiction. Fifteen years have passed, but they continue to claim they are going after me. More than welcome to, but first file an application for ANY WRONGDOING instead of just imagining I have been charged. This is called #fakenews. In other words, keep creating fake news to boost your #readership or #viewership. The only thing I have done single-handedly is create a globally loved product called @IPL, which you lap up like there’s no tomorrow. None of you thought of it, and none of you can or will ever create something like it. So I know what I have done.”

The Indian businessman and cricket administrator fled India in 2010 amid charges of tax evasion and money laundering. 

Lalit Modi's acquisition of Vanuatu citizenship has brought the island nation into the spotlight. Formerly a colony of Britain and France, Vanuatu is an independent country located in the South Pacific. It is an archipelago of around 80 islands known for its tropical climate, volcanic landscapes, and diverse culture.