英国一家法院已批准出售一套与在逃钻石商尼拉夫·莫迪（Nirav Modi）有关的伦敦豪华公寓。莫迪自2019年以来一直被关押在英国首都，并因涉嫌欺诈和洗钱案而抗拒被引渡回印度。现年55岁的莫迪被指控卷入涉案金额达20亿美元的旁遮普国家银行欺诈案。
A UK court has approved the sale of a luxury London flat linked to fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, who has been in jail in the British capital since 2019 while contesting extradition to India in a fraud and money laundering case. Modi, 55, is accused in the USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank fraud case.
在周二举行的高等法院大法官法庭听证会上，詹姆斯·布莱特韦尔（James Brightwell）法官批准以最低375万英镑的价格出售位于伦敦市中心的马拉松大厦（Marathon House）103号公寓。此案由三叉戟信托公司（新加坡）私人有限公司（Trident Trust Company (Singapore) Pte Limited）提起，而印度执法局此前已成功主张，在结清信托的所有紧迫债务后，出售所得款项应存入一个安全账户。
At a hearing in the Chancery Division of the High Court on Tuesday, Master James Brightwell gave the court’s approval for the sale of 103 Marathon House in central London at a minimum price of 3.75 million pounds. The case was brought by Trident Trust Company (Singapore) Pte Limited, while India’s Enforcement Directorate had earlier argued successfully that the sale proceeds should be placed in a secure account after all pressing liabilities of the trust are cleared.
布莱特韦尔法官在裁决中表示：“最基本的原则是应偿还到期债务。在本案中，法院曾于2023年下达出售令，并于2024年再次下达降低售价的命令，且最终得到了其他相关方的同意，这支持了上述原则。”他还指出：“第三被告（尼拉夫·莫迪）对受托人决策方式的抱怨，并不足以证明该决策是受托人无法合理做出的。”
In his ruling, Master Brightwell said, "The natural starting point is that the debts that are due should be paid. In this case, that is supported by the fact that the court made an order for sale in 2023 and reiterated this with a further order to lower sale price in 2024 was ultimately made with the assent of the other active parties." He also said, "The third defendant’s (Nirav) complaints about the way in which the trustee has set out its decision do not render the decision one which a trustee could not properly reach."
莫迪通过视频连线参加了听证会，他目前被关押在伦敦西南部的旺兹沃思监狱（HMP Wandsworth），并继续就引渡程序进行抗辩。作为听证会的被告之一，他曾反对出售该房产，声称自己是该信托的“真正设立人”，应被视为受益人。
Modi joined the hearing through videolink from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London, where he is lodged as he continues to fight separate extradition proceedings. Named as one of the defendants in the hearing, he had opposed the sale of the property, claiming he was the "true settler" of the trust and should be treated as a beneficiary.
据信，在用尽其他法律途径后，莫迪可能已提交了第二次政治庇护申请，试图以此避免被引渡回印度。
It is believed that, after exhausting other legal options, Modi may have submitted a second claim for political asylum in an attempt to avoid extradition to India.
2019年3月19日，他在伦敦市中心的一家都会银行（Metro Bank）分行试图开设银行账户时，被一名工作人员认出，随后被苏格兰场警官根据引渡令逮捕。他的引渡过程屡遭延误，其中包括多次以人权为由向高等法院提出上诉、一项未获成功的秘密政治庇护申请、一系列被驳回的保释请求，以及今年3月被英格兰高等法院拒绝的重审引渡案件的尝试。
He was arrested by Scotland Yard officers on an extradition warrant at a Metro Bank branch in central London on March 19, 2019, after he was recognised by an official while trying to open a bank account. Delays in his extradition have included several High Court appeals on human rights grounds, a failed confidential political asylum claim, a series of unsuccessful bail pleas, and an attempt to reopen his extradition case that was rejected by the England High Court in March this year.
最新的法院命令为出售与莫迪（Modi）有关的伦敦市中心公寓扫清了障碍。尽管他目前仍被关押在监狱中，并继续就引渡回印度一事进行法律抗争，但该公寓出售所得的款项将在偿还信托机构的紧迫债务后予以留存。（本文综合印度报业托拉斯（PTI）报道——全文完）
The latest court order clears the way for the sale of the central London flat linked to Modi, with the proceeds to be secured after the trust’s pressing liabilities are met, even as he remains in prison and continues his legal fight against extradition to India. With PTI Inputs- Ends