india

Updated: Mar 27, 2019 09:39 IST

Diamantaire Nirav Modi’s attempt to apply for permanent residency (PR) status to few countries is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), agency sources revealed.

According to ED sources, Modi tried to obtain the PR status of countries such as Vanuatu and Singapore. Vanuatu, which allows citizenship by investment, had rejected Modi’s request, investigations revealed.

Agency sources stated that they approached the countries to investigate the fact that Nirav tried to obtain the PR status before the case was registered against him in January last year. This would help them prove before the court about his intention of fleeing the country.

“Vanuatu applied due diligence and decided not to grant citizenship,” said a high-ranking ED officer privy to the probe.

“The foreign correspondence will help us ascertain the sequence of events which took place before the case was registered against him. We are also looking at details from countries such as Belgium, United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK). This will help us to prove him guilty before the court,” the officer said.

The CBI has registered three separate FIRs in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case by the companies of the nephew-uncle duo of Nirav and Mehul Choksi. Both left the country before PNB filed the complaint with the CBI.

“Crucial evidences have come to light which shows Nirav’s intent of fleeing the country before the scam came to light,” said the ED officer.

The CBI registered an FIR against him on January 31 last year on the basis of a complaint filed against him and his uncle Choksi from the bank. The ED had registered a money laundering case against Nirav and others on February 15, 2018, under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).