Fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi to be produced before court in London today

Fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi will be produced before a court in London today as he fights his extradition to India in Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case. 

He is set to be produced from custody before Judge Emma Arbuthnot for the first case management hearing in the case, during which a broad timeline is expected for his extradition trial. 

Nirav Modi was arrested by Scotland Yard officers on an extradition warrant from a Metro Bank branch in central London as he attempted to open a new bank account in March this year and has been in prison since.

During subsequent hearings, Westminster



Magistrates' Court was told that Nirav Modi was the "principal beneficiary" of the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking (LoUs) as part of a conspiracy to defraud PNB and then laundering the proceeds of crime.

Nirav Modi's legal team, led by solicitor Anand Doobay, have repeatedly asserted that the Indian authorities must present a "perfectly paginated" set of documents in support of the case against their client. 

The 48-year-old has been lodged at Wandsworth prison in south-west London since his third attempt at seeking bail was rejected by Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot at the last hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court earlier this month.