Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s extradition has been put on hold after he challenged in Belgium’s Supreme Court an October 17 order of the Antwerp Court of Appeal that declared India’s extradition request “enforceable”, officials said on Monday.
“This appeal is strictly limited to the merits and will be heard by the Court of Cassation. During these proceedings, the execution of the extradition is suspended,” Ken Witpas, public prosecutor at the Antwerp Court of Appeal, told PTI.
The Court of Cassation is the Supreme Court of Belgium.
Witpas said Chiksy – owner of the Gitanjali Group jewelery chain – filed an appeal with the Court of Cassation on 30 October. ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case
What was the decision of the Court of Appeal in Antwerp?
On 17 October, the Court of Appeal in Antwerp declared the arrest warrants issued by the special court in Mumbai in May 2018 and June 2021 as “enforceable”, allowing Choksi’s extradition.
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the fugitive diamond trader faces “no risk” of being denied a fair trial or of ill-treatment if he is extradited to India.
Mehul Choksi was on the run from Indian authorities after he allegedly committed ₹13,000 crore PNB scam with his nephew Nirav Modi. He has been in Belgium since 2023.
Inside the PNB fraud case
The fraud came to light in February 2018. Choksi allegedly conspired with Punjab National Bank officials and associates to fraudulently obtain letters of undertaking and foreign letters of credit without following the bank’s prescribed procedures, which were later used to obtain credit from overseas banks.
All this led to a loss ₹6,097.63 crore of PNB. It was allegedly part of a wider Rs 13,850 crore scam involving Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi, marking one of India’s biggest banking scams to date.
Nirav Modi was arrested in London in 2019.
What charges does Mehul Choksi face?
Mehul Choksi is facing cases under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and falsification of accounts, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which constitute crimes in Belgium as well, news agencies reported earlier.
What’s next for Choksi?
After his extradition to India, Mehul Choksi is likely to be held in Barrack No. 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, Hindustan Times reported last month.
According to HT, the Indian government has assured Belgium that if Choksi is extradited to India, he will be held in Barracks No. 12 of the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, which complies with Europe’s CPT (Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment).
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