London, August 9: Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi, against whom a non-bailable warrant has been issued in a case of money laundering, gave at least $30,000 (US) to a charity set up to protect elephants in India headed by Britain’s Prince Charles, a media report said Sunday.
Modi, who denies the allegations of money laundering, has helped fund the Elephant Family charity as one of its patrons, The ‘Sunday Times’ reported.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were last year made joint presidents of the charity set up by Mark Shand, Camilla’s late brother.
Modi gave $30,000 to the organisation in October 2011, according to leaked documents seen by the newspaper.
A later payment of £5,000 was made to Shand ‘‘for the purchase of artwork’’ in February 2013. Shand died in April last year after a fall outside a bar in New York. Modi told the newspaper via his lawyer that ‘‘the charges made against him in India are politically motivated and without any foundation.’’
In November, the charity will have a group of high-profile celebrities take part in an auto-rickshaw race across India. The ‘‘Travels to My Elephant’’ campaign will see a fleet of 30 rickshaws race 500 kilometres as part of a planned “epic Indian adventure” across Madhya Pradesh to the elephant Tara’s home at Kipling Camp.
Modi is listed as one of more than two dozen patrons on the charity’s website alongside the Duchess of York, Sarah Fergusson, the former wife of Prince Andrew – Prince Charles’ brother.
Modi says he was appointed in 2008. The charity declined to say how much he had given in total, adding: ‘‘We have no comment to make until the outcome of the Indian legal process.’’
The former IPL chief had travelled to London in May 2010 after the event became embroiled in match-fixing allegations and illegal betting, saying he faced death threats from criminals. PTI
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