In a significant development, the Antwerp Court of Appeal in Belgium has dismissed fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi's appeal and upheld a decision to extradite him to India.
The 66-year-old, accused of orchestrating a Rs 13,000 crore fraud at Punjab National Bank (PNB), now has 15 days to appeal the ruling before Belgium's Supreme Court, delaying any immediate transfer.
India has assured Belgium that fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, wanted in the PNB bank fraud case, will be detained in humane conditions at Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail if extradited. The MHA’s letter details medical, legal, and custodial safeguards to meet international human rights standards.
India on Thursday said it is working closely with Belgium for the extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who was recently arrested in the European country.
Mehul Choksi, the diamond businessman wanted in an alleged Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case, has been arrested in Belgium following an extradition request from the Indian agencies, sources said.
The defence attorneys presented to the court a medical document that stated that Choksi is incapacitated and as a result, he was unable to attend the proceeding
Choksi is facing the charges of entering Dominica illegally. A Dominican High Court has restrained the extradition of Choksi.
Choksi was charged with illegal entry by the police in Dominica after he allegedly escaped from Antigua and Barbuda in a possible attempt to evade extradition to India.
A Dominican court has restrained his deportation till June 2 as it hears a habeas corpus filed by Choksi's lawyers.
The CBI and ED, which have filed separate chargesheets in the case, are trying for the extradition of Choksi.
