Vunuatu PM Napat cancels Lalit Modi’s passport: Releases official statement

Statements By Vunuatu PM

The Republic of Vanuatu on its official Media Release stated, “I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Mr Lalit Modi following recent revelations in international media.”

“I have been made aware in the past 24 hours that Interpol twice rejected Indian authorities’ requests to issue an alert notice on Mr Lalit Modi due to lack of substantive judicial evidence. Any such alert would have triggered an automatic rejection of Mr Modi’s citizenship application,” it read.

The release also mentioned that the “Prime Minister emphasised 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 brought to light clearly indicate was Mr Modi’s intension,” it stated.

As per the sources  Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan with few other Island nation played a pivotal role in the cancellation of Modi’s Vanuatu ‘s passport.

On march 7, Lalit Modi filed an application requesting his cancellation of Indian passport which was later confirmed by he Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Lalit Modi left India in 2010 and was living in London holding the citizenship of Vanuatu, a South Pacific Island nation.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said , “He has made an application for surrendering his passport in the high commission of India, London,”.

“The same will be examined in light of extant rules and procedures. We are also given to understand that he has acquired citizenship of Vanuatu. We continue to pursue the case against him as required under law,” he said.