LONDON, April 26 - Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi on Friday was further remanded into custody till May 24 by a UK court hearing his extradition case in the USD 1-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case.
The 48-year-old, who has been behind bars at Wandsworth prison in south-west London since his arrest last month, appeared before Westminster Magistrates� Court Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot via videolink from the jail.
Dressed in a beige and black sweater and looking slightly less dishevelled than his last appearance in person before the court in March, Modi spoke only to confirm his name.
�Mr Modi, you will be back for another short hearing via videolink on May 24, with a full hearing in the case planned for May 30 when you will be produced in person,� Judge Arbuthnot told the diamantaire.
She asked his barrister Jessica Jones if there were any matters to be considered and was told there were none, which confirmed that Modi�s team did not file another bail application before the court.
The May 24 hearing will be another procedural one, to meet the 28-day timeline for judicial custody in such cases in the UK. The case will then proceed to a full case management hearing, scheduled for May 30 so far, when Modi will be produced in person. � PTI
