UK court further remands Nirav Modi to appear on Jan 30

London: Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India on charges over the nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case, was further remanded in custody at a hearing on Thursday and asked to appear on January 30.

Modi appeared for his regular 28-day "call-over" appearance from London's Wandsworth prison at Westminster Magistrates' Court. His extradition trial is scheduled for May 11 and is expected to last over five days.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram who was the judge on Thursday, asked if there are any other issues to be discussed now. Modi, wearing black, light grey and white sweat shirt and grey bottom, said no.

The 48-year-old had moved yet another bail application last November with an "unprecedented" house arrest guarantee, akin to those imposed on terrorist suspects, as well as citing mental health issues from being behind bars at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since his arrest in March.

But the bail plea was turned down by Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot over continued fears of witness intimidation and failure to surrender before the court for his extradition trial in May 2020.

"The past is a prediction of what might happen in the future," Judge Arbuthnot had said at the time.