Lalit Modi case: Mumbai court issues Letters Rogatory to UAE authorities

A court here on Saturday issued a Letters Rogatory to UAE authorities, seeking some information and evidence regarding a case against former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi.

A court here on Saturday issued a Letters Rogatory to UAE authorities, seeking some information and evidence regarding a case against former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi.

The court had also issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Modi who is believed to be in UK.(HT file)

Letters Rogatory are issued when court or investigators want help from judicial authorities in another country.

Enforcement Directorate had filed an application in the court of sessions judge P R Bhavke here seeking LR to the United Arab Emirates in connection with a 2008 deal between World Sports Group (WSG) and Multi Screen Media (MSM) for television rights worth Rs 425 crore for IPL.

This is a third LR issued in the case. Earlier the court had issued LRs to Singapore and Mauritius.

The court had also issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Modi who is believed to be in UK.

Board Of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI) had registered a case in Chennai with regard to the 2008 deal. This was followed by a case registered by the ED.

In 2008, after BCCI awarded media rights for IPL for 10 years to WSG for USD 918 million, WSG entered into a deal with Multi Screen Media to make latter’s TV channel, Sony, official broadcaster of IPL. The contract was replaced a year later with a nine-year deal where MSM paid WSG USD 1.63 billion.

While BCCI alleged irregularities and breach of contract in this deal, ED started a probe in 2009 under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to investigate allegations that payment of Rs 425 crore ‘facilitation fee’ by MSM Singapore to WSG Mauritius was made in illegal manner.