Former IPL chief Lalit Modi praised Vanuatu as a "truly heavenly" place, just a day after the island nation cancelled his passport. Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Jotham Napat, ordered the cancellation, stating that Modi was using the passport to evade extradition to India.

Despite the decision, Modi expressed admiration for the country. "Vanuatu is a beautiful country. You must put it on your bucket list. Away from all the pollution and noise. Truly a heavenly place," he wrote. Modi, who has been living abroad since facing corruption charges in India, had obtained Vanuatu citizenship, which has now been revoked due to legal concerns.

Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who left India in 2010 amid financial fraud allegations, had been living in London and obtained Vanuatu citizenship through its "Citizenship by Investment" program. Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Jotham Napat, ordered the cancellation of Modi's passport, stating that citizenship in the country is a privilege, not a right.

An official statement clarified that Modi's passport was issued after standard background checks, including Interpol screenings, which showed no criminal convictions at the time. However, PM Napat noted that Interpol had twice rejected India's requests to issue a notice against Modi due to a lack of strong judicial evidence. If such an alert had been issued, Modi’s citizenship application would have been automatically denied, the statement added.

India is said to have asked Vanuatu to cancel Lalit Modi's passport. Since India does not have an embassy in Vanuatu, its high commission in New Zealand handles diplomatic matters with the island nation.

Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman, is wanted in India for financial misconduct. He faces allegations of embezzling large amounts of money during his time as IPL commissioner, including bid-rigging, money laundering, and violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Despite multiple attempts by Indian authorities to bring him back, Modi has been living in London since 2010, avoiding extradition.

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