In a bid to bring the black money of fraudulent business tycoons back to the country, the Ministry of External Affairs has started pursuing the extradition process of absconding businessmen proactively. To drag in disgraced former Kingfisher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya and fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla held discussions with British Home Secretary Priti Patel recently in London.
While the legal processes regarding the extradition of Modi have been completed, the processes for the extradition of Mallya have been started.
Shringla was on a three-nation tour of Europe and the last leg of his tour included a meeting with the British Home Secretary and UK foreign office minister for South Asia. The extradition of the two economic offenders of India is expected to be complete soon, following which they will be tried by the nation’s judiciary. After the successful conclusion of the meeting, Shringla has said that the Indian government has put emphasis on the expedited extradition of the Indian economic offenders.
Mallya, the main accused in a case involving money laundering and default on loans from a consortium of Indian state-owned banks for the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, is on bail. He is battling some confidential legal issues. Once these legal issues are settled, the UK administration will sign on Mallya’s extradition order, clearing the road for the Indian foreign ministry to bring him back home.
Modi, another billionaire economic offender of the Indian state, accused of defrauding the Punjab National Bank of crores of rupees, is currently in the Wandsworth Prison in London, fighting with the Indian state against extradition charges.
Apart from holding meetings with the UK administration in London, Shringla also visited Paris and Berlin to interact and discuss important issues with France and Germany.
The foreign secretary discussed a wide range of topics with his UK counterpart, apart from the extradition issue. His discussion also covered cooperation between India and the UK in COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution as well as on the strengthening of UK-India bilateral ties in a post-COVID-19 world. Climate change, the safeguarding of peace in the Indo-Pacific region through international cooperation, and India-UK partnership were also discussed.
The foreign secretary also expressed hope that Britain’s long pending exit from the European Union will positively shape the diplomatic and trade ties between India and UK and India’s shares with the EU.
Brexit might lead to a free trade agreement between the two countries and help India secure early harvest deals. Shringla has said the Indian government believes in a free Indo-Pacific region for trade and navigation, one which is multi polar. India’s friendly ties with the UK, France and Germany will help in securing the economic freedom of the region.
Following the UK’s exit from the EU, it will be interesting to see how
India’s equation with the power centres of Europe shape.
Comment here