(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. government approved the extradition of ex-diamond billionaire Nirav Modi to India to face charges that he orchestrated the largest bank fraud in the country's history.
The sign-off by the Home Office comes after Modi lost a court challenge in February, when a London judge dismissed his argument that he wouldn't have a fair trial.
He's accused of defrauding state-run Punjab National Bank of around $2 billion over seven years. In addition, the one-time tycoon is charged with threatening to have a witness killed if he testified against him.
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The extradition order was signed Thursday, a Home Office spokesperson said in an email. Modi has 14 days to appeal the decision.
Modi was once a jeweler to the stars -- Kate Winslet wore a Modi bracelet and earrings to the Oscars -- and operated boutiques around the world. But since his arrest in March 2019, Modi has been repeatedly denied bail after judges feared he was a flight risk.
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