Lalit Modi reacts after Vanuatu moves to cancel his passport

Former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Kumar Modi took to social media on Monday to share pictures from Vanuatu, just days after the island nation’s prime minister, Jotham Napat, directed the Citizenship Commission to revoke his passport.

Sharing images from the tropical destination, Modi wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Vanuatu is a beautiful country. You must put it on your bucket list. Away from all the pollution and noise. Truly a heavenly country.” His post came shortly after reports surfaced regarding the revocation of his Vanuatu citizenship.

On March 7, Modi submitted an application to the Indian High Commission in London to surrender his Indian passport. He is known to have acquired citizenship of Vanuatu, a small island nation in the South Pacific, after leaving India in 2010. Since then, he has been residing in London.

The Republic of Vanuatu issued an official media statement on the matter, confirming the prime minister’s directive to cancel Modi’s passport. The statement read, “I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Lalit Modi following recent revelations in international media.”

While Modi’s background checks, including Interpol screenings, initially showed no criminal convictions, new information reportedly led to this decision. “I have been made aware in the past 24 hours that Interpol twice rejected Indian authorities’ requests to issue an alert notice on Lalit Modi due to a lack of substantive judicial evidence,” the statement, quoted by PTI, added.

Lalit Modi, known for his key role in founding the IPL, has remained outside India since 2010, amid allegations of financial irregularities during his tenure as commissioner. With his Vanuatu passport now under scrutiny and his Indian passport surrender request filed, his next move remains uncertain.