In a setback for India, fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s name has been removed from Interpol’s wanted list. Choksi, who has been accused of defrauding the public sector Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 13,000 crore, was added to Interpol’s red notice in December 2018.
Confirming the development to CNN-News18, Choksi’s lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said ultimately the truth has prevailed. “Due to efforts of the legal team and genuine claim of the kidnapping of my client and as this kidnapping attempt is not approved by the international community, the RCN (red corner notice) issued against my client by Interpol has been removed,” he said.
The Red Notice is the highest form of an alert issued by the 195-member country-strong Interpol to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
Interpol issued the Red Notice against Choksi nearly 10 months after he fled from India in January of that year to take refuge in Antigua and Barbuda, where he had taken citizenship.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Interpol, in its order, said: “There is a credible possibility that the applicant’s abduction from Antigua to Dominica had the ultimate purpose of deporting the applicant to India and he may face the risk of not receiving a fair trial or treatment if returned to India.”
The report, citing people in the know of the development, reported that the Indian government vehemently contested the deletion of Choksi’s name from Interpol’s wanted list. However, the international organisation was not convinced and prime facie, found credence in his allegation that Indian agencies attempted to abduct him, they added.
People familiar with Interpol proceedings said Choksi approached the global body last year for a review of his red notice citing his alleged abduction from Antigua and Barbuda.
An official, on the condition of anonymity, said the latest development means Choksi can travel out of Antigua and Barbuda, of which he is a citizen, where extradition proceedings are at a crucial stage.
“We (India) vehemently contested his charges in the Interpol and conveyed that if his red notice is removed, he may flee from Antigua, where extradition proceedings are at a crucial stage. Also, he is wanted in multiple cases,” the HT report quoted the officer as saying.
A second officer said, “Interpol red notice removal doesn’t affect our investigations or our extradition request in Antigua.”
The CBI has charge-sheeted both Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi separately in the scam.
The agency, in its charge sheets, had alleged that Choksi swindled Rs 7,080.86 crore, making it one of the biggest banking scams in the country at over Rs 13,000 crore. Nirav Modi allegedly siphoned Rs 6,000 crore. An additional loan default of over Rs 5,000 crore to Choksi’s companies is also a matter of probe under the CBI.
Choksi had disappeared from his sanctuary in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2021 to mysteriously appear in neighbouring Dominica where he was detained for illegal entry.
After news of Choksi being held in Dominica surfaced, India rushed a team of officials led by CBI DIG Sharda Raut to make every effort to bring him back on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice against him.
India’s effort to bring Choksi back was unsuccessful as his lawyers moved with unprecedented agility to file a habeas corpus petition before the Dominica High Court which was admitted for hearing.
(With PTI inputs)
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