Vanuatu PM Revokes Fugitive Lalit Modi’s Passport After Interpol Rejects India’s Alert Request

Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat has directed the Citizenship Commission to revoke Lalit Modi's passport, citing the rejection of Indian authorities' request for an Interpol alert due to insufficient evidence.

"I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to immediately begin proceedings to cancel Mr. Modi's Vanuatu passport," Napat stated.

He explained that although background checks revealed no criminal convictions, he was recently informed that Interpol had twice refused India's request for an alert notice against Lalit Modi due to a lack of substantive judicial evidence. This, he noted, would have automatically led to the rejection of Modi's citizenship application.

"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 on Mr. Modi due to lack of substantive judicial evidence. Any such alert would have triggered an automatic rejection of Mr. Modi's citizenship application," PM Napat's statement reads.

He stressed that a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, not a right, and that applicants must provide valid reasons for seeking citizenship.

"None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts brought to light clearly indicate was Mr. Modi's intention," Napat added.

PM Napat further stated that in recent years, the Vanuatu government has reinforced the due diligence process for its citizenship-by-investment programme, leading to a greater number of applications being rejected following enhanced scrutiny by the Vanuatu financial intelligence unit.

The updated procedure now includes triple-agency checks, incorporating Interpol verification, according to the statement.

Vanuatu is a Pacific island nation comprising an archipelago of 83 islands, 65 of which are inhabited.

Situated to the east of Australia and north of New Zealand, Vanuatu lies approximately midway between Australia and Fiji. Its capital and largest city is Port Vila, located on Efate Island.

The country's national language is Bislama, a Creole language, while English and French serve as official languages.