No court declared Lalit Modi a fugitive, no blue corner notice against him, says his lawyer
Mumbai: Former Indian Premier League chief Lalit Modi came out with his first response on the controversy over Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj helping him gain emergency travel papers in Britain.
Lalit Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi held a press conference on Monday in Mumbai, saying there was a 'political angle' to the controversy.
Read: Lalit Modi row: Congress attacks Sushma Swaraj’s ‘humanitarian’ move, demands her resignation
Modi’s lawyer said that non-issues have been blown out of proportion and a situation has been created as if heaven has fallen.
“Fugitive and offender are legal terms, which can't be used so generously as the media is using. Fugitive or offender is a legal term and a court has to declare,” said Abdi.
Read: Sushma Swaraj fixed Lalit Modi travel, aided scam-tainted ex-IPL chief get travel papers
Abdi further said that some channels have been saying Lalit's wife was not ill. Are they aware of medical advise? It is the height of irresponsibility and insensitivity.
“Blue corner notice is a fabricated document. From the day he went to England, Lalit Modi has been communicating with Enforcement Directorate (ED) and police, so where is the need to issue a blue corner notice,” said Abdi.
Read: Amid controversy, Sushma Swaraj tweets ‘what benefit did I pass on to him?'
In a veiled attack on Congress, Abdi said, “The people who have got A Raja to Jamai Raja should introspect and not talk of propriety. Honourable foreign minister did not intervene, lived up to her duty to help any Indian outside the country who is in trouble
They are drawing parallel between Dawood Ibrahim and Lalit Modi. They have no sense of balance. Entire case of Lalit Modi's passport was argued and order was reserved during UPA's period, no conflict of interest.”
Read: Congress doing "cheap politics" by releasing of pictures of PM-Lalit Modi: BJP
Swaraj was on Sunday embroiled in a row for helping scam-tainted former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi to obtain British travel papers. The minister was, however, strongly supported by the government and the top BJP leadership, that categorically rejected the Opposition’s demands for her resignation.
The controversy came to light after the revelation of some emails showing that she had spoken to Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz and UK high commissioner to India Sir James Bevan favouring the grant of travel documents to Mr Lalit Modi.
Read: Sushma Swaraj speaks to Modi as opposition demands her resignation
The former Indian Premier League boss is wanted in India and has made London his home since 2010 to avoid a probe for alleged betting and misappropriation of funds in the T-20 cricket tournament.
Read: Immigration row: Helped Lalit Modi with UK travel on humanitarian grounds, says Sushma Swaraj
According to the leaked emails, that were widely quoted in the British media, Mr Vaz had cited Ms Swaraj’s name to put pressure on the United Kingdom’s top immigration official to grant British travel papers to Mr Lalit Modi, who later got the documents in less than 24 hours.
Soon after the reports came out, Ms Swaraj, 63, said in a series of tweets, that she had taken a “humanitarian view” and had conveyed to the British high commissioner that they should examine Mr Lalit Modi’s request as per their rules, and “if the British government chooses to give travel documents to Mr Lalit Modi... that will not spoil our bilateral relations”.
Read: Sushma Swaraj row: PM should apologise to nation, say opposition parties
