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Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has said that fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who was captured in Dominica after going missing for three days needs to return to India where he can face the criminal charges levelled against him. The Prime Minister also confirmed that the Indian government sent over court documents in a private jet to Dominica in order to prove Choksi is a fugitive. The documents will be shown in Dominica court during Wednesday s hearing.
While Choksi s lawyer Vijay Agarwal says that the moment the businessman, who is also the chairman of the Gitanjali group, acquired the citizenship of Antigua he ceased to be a citizen of India and hence legally as per Immigration and Passport Act Section 17 and 23, he can only be deported to Antigua.
UPDATED: May 27, 2021 15:13 IST
Mehul Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are accused of having siphoned off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from Punjab National Bank. (Photo: India Today Archives)
Mehul Choksi s lawyer, advocate Vijay Agarwal, has said that the fugitive businessman can be legally deported to only Antigua and Barbuda after his arrest in Dominica on Wednesday.
Choksi, who has been on the run since January 2018, is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in relation to the Punjab National Bank s Rs 13,000-crore fraud case.
After reports emerged that the Indian government had already begun exploring options to bring Choksi back, counsel Agarwal said that he is not an Indian citizen anymore and, thus, there is no question of him being sent to India .
Highlights
Mehul Choksi’s counsel said there is no question of the diamantaire’s repatriation directly to India. My understanding is that his reaching Dominica is not voluntary,” Choksi s lawyer said.
Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne said that Mehul Choksi could be sent back to India in the next 48 hours from Dominica.
New Delhi: Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s lawyer has denied the possibility of his client being directly deported to India.
“Legally, as per Section 17 and 23 of the Immigration and Passport Act, Mehul Choksi can only be deported to Antigua,” Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, Counsel for Choksi told ANI.
Fugitive Indian diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who went missing from residence in Antigua and Barbuda, has been taken into custody by Dominica Police. Mehul Choksi, wanted in the Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank scam case, was speculated to have fled Antigua.