Diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s arrest from Belgium is the culmination of relentless seven-year tracking by Indian agencies in three countries, overcoming countless obstacles along the way.
Gitanjali Group owner Choksi stands charged with a staggering ₹12,636 crore fraud in the state-run Punjab National Bank. He is charged along with his nephew Nirav Modi, wife Ami Modi, and brother Neeshal Modi. The 65-year-old businessman fled India in 2018 when the humongous fraud was starting to be exposed, acquiring Antigua citizenship under an investment program.
In 2021, Choksi was detained in the Dominican Republic on the accusation of illegal entry, prompting a prompt response from a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) deployed to secure his custody. His lawyers pleaded before a Dominican court that he had to be medically treated in Antigua and promised his return for trial. After spending 51 days in jail, Choksi received relief from the British Queen’s Privy Council, which halted the extradition process, allowing him to return to Antigua. Subsequently, the illegal entry charges against him in the Dominican Republic were dropped.
Throughout this period, the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate closely monitored Choksi’s movements. They discovered last year that he was in Belgium and immediately reported to Belgian authorities, providing all the documents necessary in connection with the fraud case. On Saturday, the Belgian police arrested Choksi attempting to board a flight to Switzerland. They say that he had submitted forged documents to Belgium to obtain an official residency card, concealing the fact that he was Indian and Antiguan by citizenship. His lawyer earlier this month informed a court in Mumbai that he was being treated for blood cancer in Belgium.
Choksi has been willing to cooperate with Indian authorities, even volunteering to be part of court hearings via video conferencing. This was, however, turned down, and efforts to have him extradited persisted. His most recent arrest has witnessed Indian officials intensify efforts to have him extradited for trial. Choksi’s attorney said that a plea application for relief for the businessman on health grounds is to be submitted.
