Jobaaj Stories
Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat has ordered the cancellation of Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi’s passport after India's request for an Interpol alert was rejected due to insufficient evidence.
PM Napat Takes Strong Action
In an official statement, PM Napat instructed the Citizenship Commission to revoke Modi's Vanuatu passport immediately. He emphasized that while standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, showed no prior criminal convictions, fresh information revealed that Interpol had twice rejected India's request for an alert against Modi.
“Any such alert would have led to the automatic rejection of his citizenship application,” the statement read.
Citizenship Is a Privilege, Not a Right
The Prime Minister stressed that holding a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, not a right. He made it clear that applicants must provide legitimate reasons for seeking citizenship and should not use it to evade extradition.
“None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which recent facts indicate was Mr. Modi’s intention,” Napat stated.
Strengthened Scrutiny in Vanuatu’s Citizenship Program
The Vanuatu government has recently strengthened the due diligence process for its citizenship-by-investment program. The updated process includes triple-agency checks, including thorough Interpol verification, to prevent misuse of Vanuatu’s citizenship program.
PM Napat highlighted that, as a result of these measures, more applications have failed to pass the enhanced scrutiny of the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit.
About Vanuatu
Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 83 islands, of which 65 are inhabited. Located between Australia and Fiji, its capital and largest city is Port Vila. The country’s official languages are English and French, with Bislama being the national language.
This move by Vanuatu’s leadership signals a firm stance against individuals attempting to misuse its citizenship program for personal gains.
