Fugitive diamantaire Nirva Modi’s application for bail will be heard by the high court of England and Wales on Tuesday, after being denied bail thrice by the Westminster Magistrates Court, which is hearing India’s request for his extradition to face major charges of financial fraud.
Modi, lodged in the Wandsworth prison in west London, was last denied bail by chief judge Emma Arbuthnot on May 8 on grounds of ‘flight risk’, the scale of the alleged fraud, access to funds, potentially influencing witnesses and destroying evidence, and weak links to the UK.
His defence team had previously offered to furnish a security deposit of 2 million pounds and follow strict conditions, including a 24-hour curfew, in the magistrates court, but was refused bail.