Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat on Monday directed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the passport issued to former Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi, saying that Lalit Modi is a fugitive and is trying to avoid extradition. On March 7, Lalit Modi had submitted an application to the Indian High Commission in London to ‘surrender’ his Indian passport. He is said to have acquired citizenship of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. He left India in 2010 and is believed to be residing in London. In an official media release issued by the Republic of Vanuatu, Napat was quoted as saying that he has directed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Lalit Modi following recent revelations in the international media. The statement said that I have learned in the last 24 hours that Interpol has twice rejected the Indian authorities’ request to issue an alert notice against Lalit Modi due to lack of judicial evidence. Any such warning would automatically result in the rejection of Modi’s citizenship application, the release also said, adding that “the Prime Minister stressed that holding a Vanuatu passport is a privilege and not a right and applicants should only seek citizenship for legitimate reasons.” The statement said that “attempting to evade extradition is not included in any legitimate reason, but the facts that have recently come to light clearly show that this was Lalit Modi’s intention.” It also sent some details of his case. The Vanuatu Prime Minister said that Lalit Modi’s application for citizenship of the island nation should not be accepted by his country’s authorities. NAPAT’s office said that in the last four years, the Vanuatu government has significantly strengthened its citizenship preparation through an investment program, which has resulted in a significant increase in the number of applications that fail the rigorous scrutiny by the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit. India has no mission in Vanuatu and the Indian High Commission in New Zealand is in the island nation. handles relations with. Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Modi has submitted a request to the Indian High Commission in London to “surrender” his Indian passport. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that he has applied to London to return his Indian passport. If Modi’s request to cancel his Indian passport is accepted, he will become an illegal alien in the UK as the Vanuatu government is also revoking his citizenship. Lalit Modi is on the wanted list of Indian law enforcement agencies for alleged embezzlement of crores of rupees during his tenure as a top IPL official.