Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat has directed the Citizenship Commission to revoke the passport of Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi. The decision follows India’s unsuccessful attempt to secure an Interpol alert against Modi due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
“I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to immediately begin proceedings to cancel Mr. Modi’s Vanuatu passport,” PM Napat stated.
He emphasized that holding a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, not a right, and applicants must present valid reasons for obtaining citizenship.
“None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts brought to light clearly indicate was Mr. Modi’s intention,” Napat added.
While standard background checks initially revealed no criminal convictions, PM Napat confirmed that Interpol had twice rejected India’s request to issue an alert notice against Modi due to insufficient judicial evidence. If an alert had been issued, Modi’s citizenship application would have been automatically denied.
The Prime Minister highlighted that Vanuatu has recently tightened its due diligence procedures for its citizenship-by-investment program. Enhanced screening, including triple-agency verification and Interpol checks, has led to increased rejections of applications failing scrutiny by the nation’s financial intelligence unit.
Vanuatu, a South Pacific island nation located between Australia and Fiji, consists of 83 islands, with Port Vila as its capital. The country recognizes Bislama as its national language, while English and French serve as official languages.