India on Thursday said it is working closely with Belgium for the extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who was arrested in Antwerp on April 12 based on a formal request from the Indian government.
“Based on our extradition request, he was arrested. We are working closely with the Belgium side on his extradition so that he can face trial in the country,” said external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Choksi is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Rs 13,500-crore Punjab National Bank loan fraud case.
His arrest marked a fresh attempt by Indian authorities to bring him back after years of evasion. He fled India in 2018.
But even as India moves ahead with the legal process, those associated with the case have expressed scepticism.
On Monday, Vaibhav Khuraniya, a complainant against Choksi, said, “I don’t think it’s going to work out. Since they couldn’t get Vijay Mallya for so long, I don’t think he can be brought back to India so easily because there are so many legalities which are involved. I suppose he has carried this kind of fraud across the world. He has been selling very low-quality diamonds at exceptionally high rates. Probably, that’s why even Nirav Modi is in jail. Once he comes back to India, only after that I will be a little more hopeful.”
Choksi had earlier acquired citizenship in Antigua, from where he managed to avoid extradition despite being wanted in one of the biggest banking scams in India.
Choksi, a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda since 2017, had filed an affidavit in 2023 in the country’s high court claiming he was abducted and tortured by agents of the Indian government in May 2021, reported National Herald.
Hariprasad S.V., the whistle-blower in the Punjab National Bank scam, had said, “Extradition is not going to be an easy task. His wallet is full, and he will employ the best advocates in Europe, as Vijay Mallya has been doing. It is not easy for India to get him back. Even though he was caught in Antigua, he managed to get out of it as he had a fleet of lawyers. It’s not going to be so easy for the government of India, but I hope the government succeeds this time.”
Earlier, both Choksi and Nirav Modi have used complex legal systems abroad to resist deportation. The Indian government has made it clear that it will pursue the case actively, but whether that leads to Choksi’s return remains a question.
Nirav Modi, who escaped from India on January, 2018 remains incarcerated in a Westminster prison in London since his arrest in March 2019.