Lalit Modi, former chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and living outside India for a long time, has completely rejected the allegation leveled against him of being a ‘fugitive’. He claimed that he has not been convicted of any crime yet. He is not running anywhere. Regarding his plans to return to India, Lalit made it clear that now his priorities have changed. There is no need to prove oneself right.
During an exclusive interview with news agency ANI, Lalit Modi mocked the Indian authorities that he is successful in hiding from them. He called all these things the result of the sensational attitude of the media instead of legal truth. He also termed as baseless the claims that he is running away. He says that it is not possible to keep traveling around the world while avoiding a global superpower country like India.
‘Can’t compete with Indian government’
He said, “I am not running at all. I am traveling all over the world. If I were running, you would have caught me somewhere. The Indian government has very long arms. You cannot compete with the Indian government. And I have no such intention. This is not the government. Rather, it is the media.”
Talking about the weak defamation laws in India, Lalit said, “There is nothing like defamation in our country. You can say whatever you want, and I sell news.” Referring to the ongoing legal battles in his country, including disciplinary action by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), he also stressed that no concrete legal solution to any of the cases has been found so far.
‘Delayed justice is also like punishment’
Although the former cricket administrator has been accused of auction rigging, money laundering and violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) since he left the country in 2010, he insisted that no criminal charges have been proved against him so far.
Lalit Modi also expressed grief over the slow Indian justice system and termed it a kind of punishment in itself. He said, “In our country, cases are never heard. Justice is given, but I don’t know when it will be given. Delayed justice is also a kind of punishment.” He further said, “Not a single case has been registered against me. If I am so bad and everyone is saying that I am very bad, then okay, go and file a case against me.”
Now my priorities have changed: Lalit Modi
When asked if he was planning to return to India to formally clear his name, he made it clear that his priorities had changed. He said, “The urge to prove myself right is gone now. There was a time when I wanted to come back. At that time I had many reasons to come back. But what would I do by coming back?… I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”
Lalit Modi also raised questions on the basis of his possible arrest. He said, “If you want to arrest me, you will have to produce me in the court. 17 years have passed, you have not yet produced me in the court. So how can you arrest me today? If something was wrong, it would have come to light by now.”
However, despite his rejection of the allegations against him, many regulatory agencies of the country are engaged in investigation. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating alleged financial irregularities, money laundering and fund transfers without permission during his IPL tenure, while the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is pursuing extradition under both Indian and international laws.
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