'Nirav Modi told me he would get me killed', says dummy director in UK court

A video recorded by so-called dummy directors associated with companies linked to Nirav Modi was submitted by CBI to UK court, hearing extradition case against fugitive diamond merchant, as evidence of "coercion and threats" he employed in course of fraud and money laundering.

A group of six Indian men can be heard on video recording played at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London during trial this week, with each of m making allegations of being forced to leave Dubai and come to Cairo, Egypt, where ir passports were confiscated and y were allegedly made to sign dubious documents against ir will by Nirav Modi's bror, Nehal Modi.

My name is Ashish Kumar Mohanbhai Lad, I am namesake owner of Sunshine Gems Limited, Hong Kong, and Unity Trading Fze, Dubai, says one of men on recording from June 2018.

Nirav Modi phoned me and told me that he would implicate me for ft. He used worst s told me that he would get me killed... he did so much to us, he says, speaking in Hindi.

or CBI witnesses include Rushabh Jethwa, who says he is namesake owner of Empire Gems FZE in Sharjah; Sonu Mehta, namesake director of Aurm Company Limited, Hong Kong; Shreedhar Mayekar, namesake owner of Unique Diamond and Jewellery, Azman; and Nileshkumar Balwantrai Mistry, namesake owner of Hamilton Precious Traders Limited in Dubai.

Speaking in a mix of Hindi and Gujarati, y are heard saying that y are making recording because y are in fear for ir safety and just want to go back home to India but are being held against ir will.

We have signed document because y will t give back our passports until we sign, says Jethwa.

se witnesses relate to Enforcement Directorate (ED) discovery that dummy directors/owners/manrs were appointed in a number of overseas companies in Hong Kong and Dubai, though companies remained under direct control of Modi.

charges against 49-year-old diamond merchant centre around his firms Diamonds R Us, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds making fraudulent use of a credit facility offered by Punjab National Bank (PNB), kwn as letters of undertaking (LoUs).

According to government of India's case, a number of PNB staff conspired with Modi to ensure LoUs were issued to se companies without ensuring y were subject to required credit check, without recording issuance of LoUs and without charging required commission upon transactions. This resulted in a fraud amounting to nearly USD 2 billion.

Modi claims to have come to UK ahead of a planned initial public offering (IPO) but an Interpol Red tice was issued against him before he was traced to a plush rented apartment at Centre Point in central London early last year.

An extradition request from Indian government was certified by UK Home Office in February last year before his arrest by Scotland Yard on March 19, 2019. jeweller remains behind bars at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since n, failing to get bail despite repeated attempts.

A second extradition request, relating to "causing disappearance of evidence" and intimidating witnesses or criminal intimidation to cause death, was also certified earlier this year. While hearing to establish a prima facie case against Modi is ongoing in London this week, extradition trial will conclude only in September once second part of case and defence arguments against prison conditions at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai are heard.

UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), presenting arguments in court on behalf of Indian authorities, has sought to establish a pattern of dishonest behaviour on part of Modi when he acquired LoUs and also in ir dispersal across a complex worldwide empire.

Modi's defence team have claimed a paucity of evidence to prove dishonesty and also questioned admissibility of some of evidence. A ruling in extradition hearing to establish wher Modi has a case to answer in Indian courts and that re are human rights barriers to him being extradited to India is expected only after second hearing in case in September.