New Delhi: The Interpol has yet again sought additional information from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on its money laundering case against former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi as part of the process to issue a Red Corner Notice against him.
Officials said the Interpol sought fresh information from the agency for the third time after the agency had moved the world police body through CBI in August this year for getting a global warrant notified against Modi in the Indian Premier League T-20 cricket tournament probe.
They said the Interpol wanted to have "more information" about the case registered by the agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Modi which has been replied back, for the third time, "very recently".
Twice earlier, sources said, the ED has replied with full details of the case against Modi but the Interpol sought more information in this regard before a possible RCN is issued.
Investigators also expressed shock and surprise at the Interpol seeking repeated information in this case which is leading to a situation that the request of a prime investigating agency in a criminal case not coming through.
The move to obtain a Red Corner Interpol notice against Modi was necessitated after a Mumbai Court in August had issued a non-bailable warrant against the former IPL Commissioner on the plea of the ED.
The agency had sought Interpol's help as domestic legal options available to it for serving its summons to Modi issued under anti-money laundering laws had failed. After his lawyer in Mumbai refused to accept the summons, contending he was not authorised for it, the ED had e-mailed it to the former IPL honcho, who has made London his home, but elicited no response from him.
A Red Corner Notice is issued "to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action" in a criminal case probe. Once the said notice is issued, the Interpol seeks to arrest the person concerned in any part of the world and notifies that country to take his or her custody for further action at their end.
Sources said the ED is also mulling to seek Modi's extradition by sending a request to the Ministry of External Affairs through the Home Ministry.
The ED is probing Modi, the IPL and its executives for alleged violation of anti-money laundering laws after registering a criminal FIR in 2012. The FIR was filed after the central agency took cognisance of a cheating complaint filed by former BCCI chief N Srinivasan against Modi and half a dozen others with the Chennai police.
The ED subsequently invoked PMLA along with sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC to probe if BCCI-IPL and the exchequer had been cheated in the award of telecast rights for the T-20 tournament in 2009.
