British Minister on Those Who Hide to Evade Justice: "UK Has No Intention Of..."

 British Minister on Those Who Hide to Evade Justice: "UK Has No Intention Of..."

Tom Tugendhat emphasised that legal procedures must be followed in extradition cases without identifying any particular instances.

In New Delhi: British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat made the statement in response to India's ongoing demand for the extradition of billionaire fugitives Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. He said that the United Kingdom has no intention of providing a haven for anyone looking to elude punishment.

Mr. Tugendhat emphasised that legal procedures must be followed in extradition cases without identifying any particular instances.

"There are legal procedures that must be followed in both the UK and India. But the UK government is quite clear: We don't want to provide a haven for those trying to avoid the law, he said in an interview with PTI.

From August 10 to August 12, Mr. Tugendhat paid a three-day visit to India, mainly to attend the G20 anti-corruption ministerial summit in Kolkata.

He spoke with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Delhi.

The British Security Minister was responding to a query on India's ongoing demand for the extradition of several British citizens who have committed economic crimes, notably Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

The fugitive diamond trader Nirav Modi is sought in India so he may face fraud and money laundering allegations.

The 52-year-old businessman lost his legal fight against extradition to India in the alleged USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank loan scandal last year in the UK's highest court.

The phrase "statute barred" presently, however, denotes that there is still litigation proceeding in his case.

When questioned about his discussions with NSA Doval, the British Security Minister declined to provide specifics but did state that the two countries' extensive bilateral collaboration is centred on ensuring their citizens' prosperity and security.

"We're talking about the prosperity of our population, the security of our two countries, and their capacity to conduct business at home and abroad.

"But we're also talking about the difficulties that we face, and we've both made it clear in various instances that the challenge of China is one that looks at us both, and we've seen incidents on the your northern borders but we've also seen the way in technology has changed and the way in which we need to address it as circumstances in which we need to have greater cooperation," he added.

Mr. Tugendhat emphasised the collaboration between India and the UK on cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

We can see now that India is a hub for both British and Indian artificial intelligence," he remarked.

"There are many companies employing the remarkable technical talents of Indian AI professionals to analyse data and increase the efficiency of their operations," he said. "Their data sources and data points are situated here, frequently in Bangalore.

"India and the United Kingdom both stand to gain greatly from this. Therefore, it is crucial for the future of our shared society that we are able to do so, that we safeguard our interests, and that we advance these technologies, said Mr. Tugendhat.