The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to send a fresh reminder to the global policing body Interpol to expedite the approval of its one-year old request for the issuance of a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against former Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi in a money-laundering case.
In August 2015, the ED had sent its request for the RCN’s issuance against former IPL chief Modi to Interpol via the latter’s nodal agency in India, the Central Bureau of Investigation. “But the request is yet to be granted,” said an ED source.
The ED had sent the request on the basis of the fact that there was a pending non-bailable warrant against Modi in the money-laundering case. An Interpol RCN warrants the detention or arrest of the subject by enforcement authorities across the globe. Modi, who now resides in London, has so far denied all allegations levelled against him by the ED.
“After receiving the request, the Interpol had sought clarifications on a few occasions on its merit, including the quality of evidence against the accused and whether he could be unfairly treated here,” said the source. “The ED had suitably replied to the clarifications sought from it regarding the RCN request,” the source added.
The source said the agency will soon request Interpol to expedite the issuance of the RCN. The reminder will be sent in the wake of an earlier brainstorming session between the two agencies’ officials via video-conferencing that could not break the inaction over the issue either.
The money-laundering case is related to a 2008 deal between two firms for the television rights of an IPL edition. As part of its probe, the ED is seeking to identify the beneficiaries of the allegedly irregular deal, if any.
The case was based on a complaint filed by a former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief with the Chennai police in 2010. In 2012, two years after the complaint, the ED filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Before making the RCN request, ED had last year claimed to have taken all the necessary steps required to send its summons for Modi, including mailing it to two of his email addresses, but allegedly got no response.
