According to information released on Thursday, Nirav Modi, the fugitive diamond dealer wanted in India to face trial on fraud and money laundering charges, has been moved from one of the biggest and busiest prisons in the UK to a privately run facility in London.
The former billionaire, 52, was scheduled to appear in court for a magistrates’ hearing regarding legal costs, or fines, totalling GBP 150,247.00 that were imposed by the High Court of London in connection with his unsuccessful extradition appeal proceedings. However, the case had to be postponed at the last minute until November because Nirav could not be tracked in time for his videolink appearance at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court in east London.
As per a court official, “He was moved to HMP (His Majesty’s Prison) Thameside from HMP Wandsworth as an internal transfer, which the court was unaware of until today.”
After a major manhunt was started when a terrorist suspect absconded from Wandsworth prison in south-west London, a few days later the transfer news came out.
The UK Justice Secretary Alex Chalk told the media earlier this month that 40 inmates had been relocated out of the prison following the high-profile security breach “out of an abundance of caution.” Daniel Khalife was later apprehended and is currently back behind bars.
Since Nirav had been detained there since his arrest in March 2019 on an extradition warrant, allegations of understaffing and overcrowding at Wandsworth have come under scrutiny in the wake of Daniel’s escape.
Now that Nirav is in custody at Thameside Prison in south-east London, which is reportedly experiencing its own overcrowding issues, it appears that he was one of the 40 people in that group. However, Nirav’s new residences continue to be a Category B men’s prison, similar to Wandsworth, with the same level of security.
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