Priti Patel Slams UK Delays in Nirav Modi Extradition

Shadow Foreign Secretary and former Home Secretary Priti Patel criticized the British legal system for the prolonged delay in extraditing fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi to India. Speaking across multiple podcasts, Patel described the situation as a flagrant abuse of the system and an insult to taxpayers, noting that she had signed the extradition order as early as April 2021.

Modi is wanted in India for a $2 billion fraud at Punjab National Bank, money laundering, and witness interference. Currently held at Pentonville Prison in London, he has exhausted most legal appeals. The High Court of Justice, King's Bench Division rejected his petition to reopen proceedings in March 2026, and reports indicate he also lost a plea at the European Court of Human Rights.

Patel alleged that the extradition failure strained bilateral relations, claiming the Indian government felt demoralized and used the delay as leverage to resist receiving visa overstayers and failed asylum seekers. In response, the Ministry of External Affairs of India stated that the process of extradition will move forward once current legal proceedings are concluded.