Trouble for Lalit Modi: PMLA court okays extradition proceedings

Case pertains to misappropriation of funds during his tenure as the IPL chairman

Signalling major trouble for former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi, the designated court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Wednesday accepted the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) application requesting UK authorities for assistance in his extradition.

The case pertains to a criminal complaint filed by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) which has accused the former IPL commissioner of misappropriating funds during his tenure.

"The ED is the sole investigative agency under the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, Government of India, for conducting investigations under the provisions of PMLA against money laundering offences. This application is filed with a prayer for issuance of a letter of request to the competent authority in the government of United Kingdom for mutual legal assistance for the execution of the open-ended non-bailable warrant dated August 6, 2015, issued by the PMLA court against Lalit Modi, which is judicial document and for the transfer of the suspected accused person to India," the ED application said.

India asked Britain to extradite nearly 60 people wanted by it for bringing them back to face justice in India, including flamboyant businessman Vijay Mallya who is facing money laundering charges.