A video which talks about fugitive businessman Nirav Modi claims that the diamond jeweller confessed that he left the country with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) aid, and that party members took a commission amounting to Rs 456 crores from him for the same.
It then mentions that of the Rs 13,000 crores that he owes, he is only responsible for 32 percent of it and that according to him, “we (BJP) should all be paying it together”.
Nirav Modi was accused of fraud by the Punjab National Bank (PNB) and fled the country in 2018. He was later arrested in March 2019 in the UK and is lodged in a London jail since then.
We found that the claims made in the video aren't backed by any evidence. We combed through court documents of Modi’s hearings and extradition order and also checked news reports, but found no such statement anywhere.
CLAIM
The viral video weaves a narrative where the former diamantaire and fugitive businessman said that he fled the country with the help of BJP, who took a hefty commission to help him leave.
The video was also shared by Indian National Congress’ Manipur division on Facebook and had over 5,500 views at the time of writing this article.
We also came across similar claims that were shared in 2019, which named the Congress party instead of BJP. The archived version of one such claim can be seen here.
Archived versions of the claim can be seen here, here and here.
The Quint received the video for verification on its WhatsApp tipline as well.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
We looked for court documents on the United Kingdoms’ judiciary website, where we found the judgment issued by the Westminster District Court’s Judge Sam Gozée regarding Modi’s extradition.
In the 83-page judgement, there is no mention of Modi saying that any political party had helped him flee, neither is there any statement where the fugitive jeweller accuses anybody of charging Rs 456 crore to help him leave.
Further, we went through a New York Bankruptcy Court’s document as well, where Modi and his associates had filed for bankruptcy after being charged with fraud, money laundering and embezzlement.
There was no mention of the points in the claim here either.
Next, we looked up news reports on Nirav Modi and came across a Reuters report from April 2021, which noted that the United Kingdom’s Home Office had approved Nirav Modi’s extradition to India.
The final approval came after Judge Gozée’s court had approved the Government of India’s extradition request after finding that there was a “prima facie case on the issue of alleged conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, including on an alleged death threat against a witness,” reported Reuters.
None of the reports carry any statements mentioned in the claim.
What Is Happening With Nirav Modi?
As per a report by the Indian Express, a UK Court heard an appeal against extradition by Modi’s legal team, on grounds of mental health and a “high risk of suicide” in December.
In India, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has started taking steps to recover the money owed to the Punjab National Bank. Speaking to Economic Times, Santanu T Ray, the court-appointed asset liquidator said, “The ED has begun the process of detaching assets held by Firestar Diamond International and Firestar International. Rhythm is the first such detachment.”
‘Rhythm’ refers to Rhythm House, an iconic music store located in Kala Ghoda in Mumbai, which was purchased by Modi in 2017 to open a jewellery showroom, reported ET.
Clearly, fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi made no confession or statement saying that the BJP helped him leave the country and took a hefty commission amounting to Rs 456 crores for the same.
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