<p>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 USD 30,000 to a charity set up to protect elephants in India headed by Britain's Prince Charles, a media report said today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Modi, who denies the allegations of money laundering, has helped fund the Elephant Family charity as one of its patrons, The 'Sunday Times' reported.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The group is the largest British funder of the endangered Asian elephant and has many high-profile supporters working on creating safe corridors for elephants in northeast India.<br /><br />Modi gave almost USD 30,000 to the organisation in October 2011, according to leaked documents seen by the newspaper.<br /><br />A later payment of 5,000 pounds 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.<br /><br />Modi told the newspaper via his lawyer that "the charges made against him in India are politically motivated and without any foundation."<br /><br />In November, the charity will have a group of high-profile celebrities take part in an auto-rickshaw race across India.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The event is inspired by Shand's own rescue of Tara, which is recorded in his best-selling book 'Travels on my Elephant.'<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />A special Mumbai court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act on Wednesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Modi in connection with a case of money laundering.<br /><br />The 'Sunday Times' had earlier revealed in a series of articles how he was issued British travel papers after senior Indian-origin Labour MP Keith Vaz intervened on his behalf with the UK's immigration authority.<br /><br />The controversy has been dubbed 'Lalitgate' after it was alleged that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj may have also played a part in that travel request while in Opposition.</p>
<p>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 USD 30,000 to a charity set up to protect elephants in India headed by Britain's Prince Charles, a media report said today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Modi, who denies the allegations of money laundering, has helped fund the Elephant Family charity as one of its patrons, The 'Sunday Times' reported.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The group is the largest British funder of the endangered Asian elephant and has many high-profile supporters working on creating safe corridors for elephants in northeast India.<br /><br />Modi gave almost USD 30,000 to the organisation in October 2011, according to leaked documents seen by the newspaper.<br /><br />A later payment of 5,000 pounds 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.<br /><br />Modi told the newspaper via his lawyer that "the charges made against him in India are politically motivated and without any foundation."<br /><br />In November, the charity will have a group of high-profile celebrities take part in an auto-rickshaw race across India.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The event is inspired by Shand's own rescue of Tara, which is recorded in his best-selling book 'Travels on my Elephant.'<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />A special Mumbai court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act on Wednesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Modi in connection with a case of money laundering.<br /><br />The 'Sunday Times' had earlier revealed in a series of articles how he was issued British travel papers after senior Indian-origin Labour MP Keith Vaz intervened on his behalf with the UK's immigration authority.<br /><br />The controversy has been dubbed 'Lalitgate' after it was alleged that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj may have also played a part in that travel request while in Opposition.</p>