Monday 10th March 2025 – Prime Minister Jotham Napat has today directed the Citizenship Commission to cancel the Vanuatu passport issued to Mr Lalit Modi following recent revelations in international media.
"I have instructed the Citizenship Commission to immediately begin proceedings to cancel Mr Modi's Vanuatu passport.
“While all standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, conducted during his application showed no criminal convictions, I have been made aware in the past 24 hours that Interpol twice rejected Indian authorities' requests to issue an alert notice on Mr Modi due to lack of substantive judicial evidence. Any such alert would have triggered an automatic rejection of Mr Modi's citizenship application,” says Prime Minister Napat.
The Prime Minister emphasised that holding a Vanuatu passport is a privilege, not a right, and applicants must seek citizenship for legitimate reasons.
"None of those legitimate reasons include attempting to avoid extradition, which the recent facts brought to light clearly indicate was Mr Modi's intension," says the Prime Minister.
The Government of Vanuatu has significantly strengthened the due diligence aspect of its Citizenship by Investment Program over the past four years, resulting in a marked increase in applications failing the enhanced scrutiny undertaken by the Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit. The improved process implemented several years ago includes triple-agency checks, including Interpol verification.
"We acknowledge that the individual at the centre of this matter faces allegations that have yet to be proven in court, and we wish him well in addressing these matters. However, he will not be facing them as a Vanuatu citizen," he says.
Prime Minister Napat clarified that Vanuatu's Citizenship by Investment program continues to welcome applicants with legitimate intentions, such as those seeking to relocate to a safe and beautiful country.
"We have seen an increasing number of citizens through our investment program choosing to make Vanuatu their home due to ongoing turmoil in various parts of the world, and we welcome them wholeheartedly.
"However, my message must be absolutely clear: as Prime Minister, we will not harbour fugitives or criminals. We have zero tolerance for those seeking to use our citizenship program to evade justice. If that is your intention, I strongly advise you to look elsewhere,” warns the head of the country.