Fugitive Choksi in Belgium, says Lawyer
February 18, 25
(IDEX Online) - A lawyer for fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi has told a Mumbai court he's receiving medical treatment in Belgium - which could delay legal moves to seize his assets.
Choksi, 66, founder of now-defunct 4,000-outlet Gitanjali Gems, fled India in 2018 after news broke of the alleged $1.8bn Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, in which he is a prime suspect together with his nephew Nirav Modi.
India's Enforcement Directorate is taking legal action in a bid to designate Choksi as a fugitive economic offender (FEO), which would allow it to try to confiscate his assets.
But his advocate Vijay Agarwal told a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai last week that Choksi was undergoing medical treatment for "suspected cancer" in Belgium.
Agarwal said Choksi was unable to travel because of his health condition but was not to be regarded as a fugitive because he'd disclosed his current location. The court is due to resume on 27 February.
Choksi now lives on the Caribbean archipelago nation of Antigua and Barbuda, which has no extradition agreement with India.
In May 2021 he claimed he was abducted and taken to the neighboring island of Dominica. He has been fighting moves to extradite him to India to stand trial.
Screengrab of Mehul Choksi courtesy NDTV.