Documents issued to Lalit Modi in accordance with rules, won't probe complaint against Keith Vaz: UK

NEW DELHI: The UK Home Department on Monday claimed travel documents issued to former IPL boss Lalit Modi to travel to Portugal to assist his ailing wife "was determined in accordance with the appropriate rules".

"We do not routinely comment on the detail of individual cases. This case was determined in accordance with the appropriate rules," as per a statement sent by the UK Home Office to ET in response to a query raised on the issue of travel documents issued to Modi to travel out of UK following requests from Swaraj and Indian-origin Labour Party MP Keith Vaz. This was the only comment to emanate from the British government which also got dragged into the Lalit Modi controversy.

Even as Swaraj tweeted that she had spoken to the UK High Commissioner to India James Bevan to consider Modi’s request for travel documents as per British laws, the High Commission here did not wish to comment on the issue. The UK Home Office is in charge of immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime policy and counter-terrorism and works to ensure visible, responsive and accountable policing in that country. Meanwhile, Kathryn Hudson, Britain’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, has decided not to investigate the complaint against Vaz. He declined to comment on the decision of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, saying "I am saying nothing".