Vanuatu Revokes Citizenship of Indian Businessman Lalit Modi Amid Corruption Allegations

Fri Mar 27 2026 11:18:38 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Vanuatu's Prime Minister cancels the citizenship of Lalit Modi, wanted in India for corruption, emphasizing that citizenship should not protect individuals from legal accountability.

The Prime Minister of Vanuatu has annulled the citizenship of fugitive businessman Lalit Modi, who faces corruption charges in India. The revocation follows the island nation's discovery of Modi's intent to evade extradition through his Vanuatu passport, as Indian authorities continue to seek justice in the case.

The Prime Minister of Vanuatu has officially revoked the citizenship of Lalit Modi, a fugitive Indian businessman sought by Indian authorities for his alleged involvement in a major corruption case. The decision was announced just days after it was revealed that Mr. Modi had obtained Vanuatu citizenship, raising significant concerns regarding his intentions and the integrity of the application process.

Modi, the former head of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is accused of manipulating auction bids while overseeing one of the world's most lucrative sporting leagues. Living in the UK since 2010, he has consistently denied the allegations against him, and India has made several unsuccessful extradition attempts since he left.

On Friday, India’s foreign ministry confirmed Mr. Modi's acquisition of Vanuatu citizenship and reiterated its legal efforts to pursue the case against him. Prime Minister Jotham Napat, in a media release, stated that Vanuatu citizenship should not be a shield for those attempting to escape legal consequences. He emphasized that legitimate reasons must underlie applications for citizenship, evidently ruling out Modi's escape from extradition as a valid reason.

Vanuatu had initially conducted background checks that revealed no criminal convictions for Modi, allowing the issuing of the passport. However, Napat notably mentioned that Interpol had rejected India's requests to issue an alert concerning Modi, indicating that the application would have automatically failed had such an alert been issued.

The revocation of Modi’s citizenship is a significant development for Indian authorities. Unlike the UK, which lacks an extradition treaty with India, Vanuatu's legal framework may prevent Modi from evading justice. Prior to the revocation announcement, Modi claimed in a social media post that there are no active cases against him in India, labeling media reports about him as "fake news."

Lalit Modi played a pivotal role in the establishment of the IPL in 2008, a championship that has since grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. His alleged misdeeds, including rigging franchise auction bids and unauthorized sale of broadcasting rights, ultimately led to a lifetime ban from cricket activities by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2013.

As Vanuatu takes a firm stance against the use of its citizenship for evading legal accountability, wider implications for international relations and the governance of offshore citizenship practices may evolve.