New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Thursday that fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi was arrested in Belgium in response to India’s extradition request. The Indian government is collaborating closely with Belgian authorities to facilitate his return.
During a weekly press briefing in the national capital, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “He was arrested based on our extradition request. We are working closely with the Belgian authorities regarding his extradition.” The Belgian Federal Public Service of Justice had earlier confirmed Choksi’s arrest on April 12, stating that he is currently detained and awaiting further judicial proceedings. They assured that he has access to legal counsel.
Choksi, 65, fled India on January 2, 2018, and is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the ₹13,850 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. He is accused, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, of conspiring with associates and certain PNB officials between 2014 and 2017 to fraudulently obtain Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit, resulting in a wrongful loss of ₹6,097.63 crore to the bank. Following his arrest, Choksi’s lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, expressed concerns that his client’s “human rights” would be “greatly affected” if he were extradited to India.