Published 15:28 IST, May 14th 2020
Law Min slams Cong for siding with Nirav Modi after leader testifies for him in UK court
While launching an attack on the Congress, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that "every effort is being been made by Congress to save Nirav Modi."
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While launching an attack on the Congress party, Union Minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that "every effort is being been made by the Congress to save Nirav Modi." His statement comes after former High Court judge Abhay Thipsay, who had joined the Congress in 2018, appeared as a defence witness for Nirav Modi in a hearing in a UK court on Wednesday.
"Nirav Modi's maternal uncle Mehul Choksi benefited the company when Chidambaram was Finance Minister. Now the ex-judge is doing their work according to Congress. Why does Congress want to bring back Nirav Modi to India?" questioned the Law Minister. "Nirav Modi is a criminal and the Congress wants to bail him out. This move by the Congress, clearly exposes it's real face," added Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Nirav Modi's five-day extradition in the PNB fraud case began earlier this week on May 11. The fugitive diamond merchant appeared via videolink before a UK court taking place in a part-remote setting due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Nirav Modi who was arrested on March 19, 2019, has been accused to be the "principal beneficiary" of the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking (LoUs) as part of a conspiracy to defraud PNB to the extend of Rs 13,578 crore.
Thipsay joined the Congress in 2018 in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election after serving in the Bombay and Allahabad High Courts. While the country fights the extradition case to bring back the fugitive diamond merchant to India, Thipsay appeared on behalf of Nirav Modi in the UK trial, testifying as a witness for Nirav Modi against the country's attempts to bring back the fugitive criminal.
This also throws light on to the fact that the Congress party and Thipsay were approached by Nirav Modi and his team to provide expert testimony after which the Congress leader agreed to be a defence witness in a case against India's attempts to probe Nirav Modi.
14:52 IST, May 14th 2020