This time, Lalit Modi-the infamous ex-commissioner of IPL, who has runaway from India- has hit another big roadblock in his runaway tour around the world. The island country of Vanuatu, which had bestowed citizenship upon Modi, has now taken that away. Significantly, Prime Minister Jotham Napat has ordered the Citizenship Commission for denying Modi his passport, which indicates that even the most illustrious havens are hardly safe for the fugitive businessman.
The Vanuatu Daily Post reported that this decision occurred due to increasing evidence of misuse of his Vanuatu citizenship by Modi for the purpose of evading extradition to India, where he is a respondent in quite serious and grave corruption charges. Lately, the international media have been rife with speculations about his intentions and, perhaps, the leadership of Vanuatu has had enough. Another chapter for someone who was once largest in the world of cricket captures the very essence of his ongoing fall from grace.
The Golden Passport Loophole: How Modi Slipped Through
The “Golden Passport” scheme of Vanuatu was always an attraction for people who desired to reinvent themselves beyond prying eyes. For just $155,000, one could afford citizenship-in-no-questions-asked format: around ₹1.3 crore. It indeed has become a magnet for many, including those high-profile ones running away from law problems; and Lalit Modi was no exception.
Now, a curious twist: An announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office extradited the fact that Interpol had declined to issue a red notice twice against Modi, leaving Vanuatu, initially, a little room to reject the application. A background check found no conviction – a clean record for him, at least on paper. However, as pressure from India and scrutiny in the outside world have grown, it appears Vanuatu may have changed its mind. Modi’s days of passport-hopping may, indeed, be numbered, prompting speculations about the future of this form of citizenship-by-investment schemes.
From IPL Powerhouse to London Exile: Why Modi Fled
To comprehend Lalit Modi’s present circumstances, we must rewind a little into his glory days and even more darker ones in India. The mastermind behind the IPL, he introduced the glamorous cricket league in 2008, turning it into a global behemoth. As the BCCI’s appointed chairman and commissioner, he dazzled the cricketing world. Before this, he had claims to fame as the president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association from 2005 to 2009.
The glitter and glamour, however, faded in 2010 as charges of corruption surfaced. Modi was alleged to have pocketed a ₹125 crore commission on the ₹425 crore IPL broadcast deal with Mauritius-based World Sports. On top of that came allegations of rigging the auction for two new IPL teams, all building up the pressure. The BCCI suspended him straight after the final of the third IPL season whereas Modi fled to London, claiming threats from the underworld. The Enforcement Directorate, India, tapped him with a Blue Corner notice, his passport was revoked, and then began cat-and-mouse game across continents.
In 2011, the BCCI set up, an investigation under Arun Jaitley, with Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia and then-BCCI president N. Srinivasan on board. Modi would claim later he helped Srinivasan steal England’s Andrew Flintoff for Chennai Super Kings in 2009, a tidbit that only deepened the intrigue. As Vanuatu prepares to shut its doors, Modi’s options are fast shrinking.
A Business Empire and a Lavish Life: Modi’s Wealth Unveiled
Even in his fugitive status, Lalit Modi has been in no way scraping it out. He is the president of Modi Enterprises, spread across the conglomerate with a wealth of commands ₹12000 crore. From tobacco to pan masala, from education and cosmetics to entertainment, the company has a portfolio that stretches broadly across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas. It speaks more to Modi’s history of building empires through cricket or through commerce.
The reports say that his net personal wealth is worth about ₹4,500 crores, enhanced through luxuries such as three Ferraris worth about ₹15 crores in total. However, such wealth does not save him from legal troubles. After acquiring citizenship of Vanuatu, Modi applied to surrender his Indian passport and submitted it to the Indian High Commission in London on March 7, 2025. “As per the law,” said India’s Ministry of External Affairs, through spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, to clarify the ministry’s intentions. Currently, it seems as if Modi is a man caught between heaven and hell.
