India felt demoralised working with UK, Nirav Modi should be in prison: Ex-minister

Former UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has claimed that India was reluctant to take back illegal migrants and failed asylum seekers because Britain had failed to extradite fugitive businessman Nirav Modi. She said New Delhi was "hugely angry" over the delay and that the issue complicated relations between the two countries.

According to news agency PTI, Priti Patel, who approved Nirav Modi's extradition order in April 2021 after British courts found a prima facie case against him, said she remains "appalled and horrified" that the diamond merchant is still in the UK despite exhausting multiple legal challenges.

Speaking on The Daily Telegraph's four-part podcast series The Diamond King, she said the extradition impasse repeatedly complicated wider cooperation between India and the UK, particularly on the return of undocumented Indian nationals.

"If our system were judicious and doing the right thing, rather than tying itself up in process and excuses, he should not be in this country," Patel said.

"I'm actually pretty appalled and horrified that he's still here, and I have to say, I suspect that really makes the India government feel quite demoralised about even working with us," she added.

EXTRADITION ROW SPILLED INTO MIGRATION TALKS

According to PTI, Priti Patel said India repeatedly resisted British efforts to repatriate visa overstayers and failed asylum seekers while the Nirav Modi case remained unresolved. She recalled facing significant difficulties during her tenure as home secretary between 2019 and 2022 in persuading India to cooperate on migration issues.

"I had a hell of a challenge getting them (India) to sign off on receiving failed asylum seekers... and I'm convinced it's because we had this high-profile case (of Nirav Modi) and we had another high-profile case at the time and until they (India) saw action and movement on those, guess what, they had some leverage over us, which was terribly frustrating," Patel said.

PRITI PATEL SAYS NIRAV MODI SHOULD HAVE BEEN SENT BACK

Priti Patel, now serving as Britain's shadow foreign secretary for the Conservative Party, said she believes Nirav Modi should already be serving a prison sentence in India.

"(Nirav) Modi should be in prison in India and serving his time there, having gone through a legal process, which is exactly what UK extradition laws and treaties are about," she said.

Calling the prolonged legal process a misuse of Britain's justice system, she added: "It's a flagrant abuse of our system. I mean, that's the only way to describe this. It really is. And you know, it's an insult to British taxpayers as well."

WHY THE EXTRADITION HAS TAKEN SO LONG

Nirav Modi, 55, is lodged at London's Pentonville Prison in connection with a nearly $2 billion Punjab Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case.

Indian authorities are seeking his extradition in three separate criminal proceedings: a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case relating to the alleged PNB fraud, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) money laundering case linked to the same allegations, and a third case accusing him of interfering with evidence and influencing witnesses during the CBI investigation.

British courts have ruled in favour of his extradition after finding sufficient evidence to proceed. Nirav Patel formally signed the extradition order in April 2021 following those court decisions. However, the process has been delayed by a series of legal appeals based largely on human rights arguments. Nirav Modi also pursued a confidential asylum application in the UK, which further prolonged proceedings.

After reports that his asylum claim had been rejected, he made another attempt to reopen his extradition case. That effort was dismissed by the High Court in England in March this year. He has also reportedly failed in a final appeal before the European Court of Human Rights in France, leaving extradition to India widely viewed as the next legal step.

The Nirav Modi case has been one of the most sensitive issues in India-UK relations since the fugitive businessman was traced to a luxury apartment in London by The Daily Telegraph, leading to his arrest by Scotland Yard in March 2019. While the extradition now appears closer than ever after years of legal challenges, Patel's comments suggest that the prolonged process came at a diplomatic cost.

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With inputs from PTI