Will Advise Nirav Modi to Not Return to India for Probe: Lawyer

Nirav Modi is accused of getting loans on the basis of fraudulent guarantees issued via the bank’s systems.

Nirav Modi’s lawyer Vijay Aggarwal.

(Photo Courtesy: ANI)

Nirav Modi’s lawyer Vijay Aggarwal seems confident the case against his client, accused in a fraud worth over Rs 11,000 crore, would not stand in a court of law for “even five minutes”.

Punjab National Bank’s claim that there were no records of letters of undertakings extended to Modi’s firms could be easily refuted, Aggarwal told BloombergQuint in an interview.

To say it is not in the books of the bank is an incorrect statement, absurd, which is not going to stand for even five minutes in the court of law.

Vijay Aggarwal, Nirav Modi’s Lawyer

Modi is accused of getting loans on the basis of fraudulent guarantees issued via the bank’s systems. Modi left India in January and his passport has been temporarily suspended.

Aggarwal said while he would advise Modi to appear for the trial, he would ask him to stay away from investigations because the “atmosphere was not conducive”.

The Enforcement Directorate said it has seized assets belonging to Modi valued at over Rs 5,000 crore. The government has said every effort will be made to ensure he is brought to justice. “By judging him only at the allegation stage, we are literally shooing away the man,” Aggarwal said.

Despite being a man who practices law, the way things are going even I cannot, with a pure heart, advise him to come back.

Vijay Aggarwal, Nirav Modi’s Lawyer 

(This piece was originally published in BloombergQuint.)

(The Quint, in association with BitGiving, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for an 8-month-old who was raped in Delhi on 28 January 2018. The baby girl, who we will refer to as 'Chhutki', was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin when her parents were away. She has been discharged from AIIMS hospital after undergoing three surgeries, but needs more medical treatment in order to heal completely. Her parents hail from a low-income group and have stopped going to work so that they can take care of the baby. You can help cover Chhutki's medical expenses and secure her future. Every little bit counts. Click here to donate.)