Vanuatu Cancels Citizenship of Indian Fugitive Cricket Tycoon Lalit Modi

The decision comes after revelations that Modi sought citizenship potentially to evade extradition from India.

Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat has announced the revocation of citizenship for Indian businessman Lalit Modi, a fugitive sought by Indian authorities in connection with a significant corruption case. This announcement follows the confirmation from Indian officials just three days earlier that Modi had acquired Vanuatu citizenship, a chain of over 80 islands in the Pacific.

Modi, who is the former chief of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is accused of manipulating bids while leading one of the richest cricket tournaments globally. Residing in the UK since 2010, he has consistently denied any wrongdoing, although India has struggled to extradite him. On Friday, India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that Modi had formally applied to surrender his Indian passport in London and acknowledged that he had acquired Vanuatu nationality.

The news of Modi’s new citizenship stirred considerable media attention in India, where he was previously a prominent figure within the IPL spotlight, engaging with Bollywood stars and influential individuals. In a statement on Monday, Prime Minister Napat declared that obtaining a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, emphasizing that applicants must possess legitimate motives for citizenship. He clarified that attempting to avoid legal issues or extradition is not considered a legitimate reason.

Napat highlighted that background checks and Interpol screenings conducted during Modi’s application revealed no prior criminal convictions. However, he acknowledged receiving information suggesting that Interpol had previously denied India's requests for an alert notice on Modi due to insufficient evidence, which could have otherwise led to the denial of his citizenship application.

This development is likely to aid Indian authorities, particularly given that Vanuatu lacks an extradition treaty with India. In a recent statement on the social platform X, previously known as Twitter, Modi asserted that he faces no outstanding cases in Indian courts and referred to media reports about him as "fake news."

Lalit Modi is known for playing a pivotal role in the establishment of the IPL in 2008, which has grown into a lucrative industry worth billions of dollars. The primary allegations against him involve rigging bids during the 2010 auction of two team franchises and unauthorized sales of broadcasting and internet rights. In 2013, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) imposed a lifetime ban on Modi from any cricket-related endeavors.