UK help sought in return of economic offenders

FRIENDLY MOVE: Trump walks up to Modi for impromptu chat -

HAMBURG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his British counterpart Theresa May on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here on Saturday and sought Britain’s cooperation for the return of Indian economic offenders.

“PM @narendramodi meets UK PM @theresa_may on sidelines of #G20. Aks for UK’s cooprn for return of escaped Indian economic offenders,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

This is an apparent reference to liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman Lalit Modi who are in Britain with cases of financial fraud against them back in India.

Mallya’s now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines owes around Rs 9,000 crore to a consortium of 17 Indian banks. The loan default cases are being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The ED is pursuing 17 cases of alleged financial impropriety against Lalit Modi and other former office-bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket In India-Indian Premier League (BCCI-IPL) under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The amount involved is said to be a whopping Rs 2,200 crore.

Lalit Modi left India in 2010 following alleged financial irregularities in the cash-rich Indian Premier League’s 2009 season.

Member nations of the G20 international economic forum on Friday came out strongly in support of Narendra Modi’s statement on fighting terrorism saying they condemned “all terrorist attacks worldwide and stand united and firm in the fight against terrorism and its financing”.

In a repeat of the separate statement on terrorism issued during the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey, in 2015, the leaders attending the 12th G20 Summit here on Friday said in a statement: “We, the Leaders of the G20, strongly condemn all terrorist attacks worldwide and stand united and firm in the fight against terrorism and its financing.”

“These atrocious acts have strengthened our resolve to cooperate to enhance our security and protect our citizens. Terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought and terrorist safe havens eliminated in every part of the world,” said the statement.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump waved to Modi, and then walked up to him for an “impromptu” chat at the G20 summit.

Arvind Panagariya, India’s Sherpa for the summit, tweeted the “Great moments” from the gathering.

“In an impromptu interaction at G20 Summit, POTUS waves to the PM, walks to him, other leaders gather around. Gr8 moments,” he posted, with a photograph of the two leaders chatting, along with Indonesia’s Joko Widodo and another leader whose face is not visible.

In another instance of the positive vibes between the two leaders, a video of the G20 leaders’ photo-op is doing the rounds that shows the US President preferring to stand beside Modi. Trump and his wife Melainia are seen being welcomed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the leaders gather for the photo-opportunity, then Trump is seen walking past the first row to stand alongside Modi in the second row.

— IANS