UK court extends Nirav Modi's remand till July 25

Nirav Modi

London: A UK court extended the remand of fugitive merchant Nirav Modi till July 25, who is wanted in India for nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case on Thursday. The 48-year-old merchant, who fights his extradition from Britain has been behind in Wandsworth prison in London since his arrest in March.

The UK High Court rejected Nirav Modi's bail application, his fourth attempt to get bail on June 12. An arrest warrant was issued against him in May and then the second one in July last year, with an extradition request made to the UK authorities in August 2018. Nirav Modi appeared via video link from prison for a routine remand hearing before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday in London.

Nirav Modi was arrested on March 19 by uniformed Scotland Yard officers on an extradition warrant and has been in prison since. Under the UK law, he is expected to be produced before the court every four weeks, with another remand hearing expected before the July 29 case management hearing currently fixed in the court's calendar. The UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), representing the Indian government, has until July 11 to present an opening position statement laying out the prima facie case against Modi, with the next case management hearing set for July 29 - when a timeline for extradition trial is expected to be laid out.

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