NEW DELHI:
Mehul Choksi, a fugitive jeweler who has been imprisoned in the Caribbean island state of Dominica since May 23 for unlawful entry, was granted release today by a Dominica court on medical grounds. He may now go to Antigua and Barbuda, of which he is a citizen and where he had previously gone missing. The diamantaire has been residing there since 2018 after fleeing India. However, Antigua has declared that it does not want Choksi to return to the nation and would rather that he be returned to India.
The 62-year-old billionaire is wanted in India in connection with the Punjab National Bank fraud case for Rs. 13,500 crore. This is a great blow for Indian agencies that had filed a court petition in Dominica to have Choksi returned to India.
According to his attorney, the high court in Dominica has now accepted a consent order by his defence team and the state's lawyer for Choksi to go to Antigua to seek medical treatment from a specialised neurologist there.
Choksi had filed a lawsuit in the high court of Dominica's Roseau city last week, seeking to dismiss the charges against him, arguing that his detention was "dictated" by officials of the Indian government. The complaint was apparently filed against the Caribbean country's immigration minister, its police head, and the case's investigating officer.
Choksi argued that the decision to charge him with unlawful entrance violated the law and was thus null and invalid.
Choksi was granted bail for the second time in the high court after his first bail plea was denied because he had no links to Dominica and the court couldn't set any conditions to guarantee he didn't flee.
He had already opposed an extradition request in Antigua and Barbuda, the fugitive said before the Dominica court. He said he was kidnapped from that nation and dragged to Dominica by Indian men.
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