News Analysis India

Tag: Dominica

  • Govt actively engaged with Dominica for Choksi’s early deportation: MEA

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Indian government is actively engaged with Dominica to seek early deportation of fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi and his handover to India, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

    A Dominican magistrate court adjourned till June 25 the hearing into alleged illegal entry of Choki into the Caribbean island nation, local media there had reported earlier this week.

    Asked about Choksi at an online media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said he continues to be in the custody of authorities in the commonwealth of Dominica and legal proceedings are underway.

    “Government of India is actively engaged with the Dominican government to seek the early deportation and handover to India of Mehul Choksi to face justice in our country,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Mehul Choksi planned escape, concealed evidence as he knew about impending enquiries: CBI

    “The criminal charges that Mehul Choksi faces in India and the facts relating to his continued Indian citizenship have been suitably brought to the attention of the authorities in the commonwealth of Dominica,” the MEA spokesperson said.

    On Monday, the magistrate court was to start hearing the case of Choksi’s “illegal entry” into the country on May 23 but he was a “no show”, a media website Natureislenews had reported.

    Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi had fled India in the first week of January, 2018, weeks before the scam in the Punjab National Bank rocked the Indian banking industry.

    Nirav Modi escaped to Europe and was finally held in London where he is contesting his extradition to India, while Choksi took citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 where he was staying since his escape from Delhi.

    Choksi, 62, had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda.

    He was detained in neighbouring island country Dominica on May 23 for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend.

    His lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguans and Indians and brought to Dominica on a boat.

  • Multi-agency team returns from Dominica after court adjourns Mehul Choksi case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A multi-agency team which had gone to Dominica for deportation of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi returned to India in a Qatar Airways private jet on Friday after Dominica High Court adjourned the hearing, sources said.

    The jet carrying the team led by CBI DIG Sharda Raut departed the Melville Hall Airport in Dominica at 8.09 PM (local time) on June 3 and arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here at 11.02 PM (IST).

    The team remained stationed for nearly seven days to bring Choksi, wanted in Rs 13500 crore bank fraud in Punjab National Bank, to India as legal battle continued in the courts of Dominica.

    On Thursday, the Dominica High Court adjourned the hearing on a habeas corpus petition filed by Choksi’s lawyers.

    A habeas corpus petition is filed for producing before a court a person who is under arrest or in unlawful detention.

    It is likely that the next hearing may take place after a month and the businessman will remain in Dominica, local media reported.

    Judge Bernie Stephenson will decide the next date of hearing after meeting both sides, media outlet Antigua News Room said.

    The adjournment is to allow the lawyers of Choksi and the Dominica government “to agree on the language to be used with respect to the injunction filed to prevent his removal from Dominica”, it said.

    Thursday’s hearing was conducted through videoconferencing with a group of protesters standing outside the High Court building in Roseau carrying placards with messages seeking to know the truth about the controversy.

    “Who brought Choksi to Dominica?” read one of the placards, the photo of which was published by many media outlets.

    The judge had on Wednesday ordered production of Choksi before the magistrate to face charges of illegal entry into Dominica.

    The 62-year-old wheelchair-bound diamantaire, who has a pending Interpol Red Notice against him, arrived before presiding Roseau Magistrate Court in black shorts and a blue T-shirt from the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.

    His application for bail was rejected.

    Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi had fled India in the first week of January 2018, weeks before the PNB scam rocked the Indian banking industry.

    The duo allegedly bribed officials of the state-run bank to get Letters of Undertaking (LoU) on the basis of which they availed loans from overseas banks that remained unpaid.

    The allegedly corrupt bank officials did not enter these LoUs in the core banking software of PNB, thus evading scrutiny.

    The non-payment of these LoUs or bank guarantees worth Rs 13,500 crore resulted in default and became a liability on the bank.

    Choksi had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda, where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen since he fled Delhi.

    He was detained in neighbouring island country Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend.

    His lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat.

    Modi escaped to Europe and was finally held in London, where he is contesting his extradition to India.

    Choksi took the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017.

  • Multi-agency team in Dominica to bring back Mehul Choksi if courts allow deportation

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A team of multi-agency officials led by a CBI DIG has gone to Dominica to bring back absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi to India if the courts in the Carribean island country allow his deportation to India, officials said Tuesday.

    The team consisting of two members of the CBI and officials of the other agencies has reached Dominica where Choksi’s case will come for hearing tomorrow (local time) before the High Court of Dominica.

    Choksi, who mysteriously went missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen was detained in neighbouring Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girl friend.

    His lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat.

    His pictures emerged from Dominca having red swollen eyes and body marks.

    The Dominican government had issued a statement that it is ascertaining the status of his citizenship with Antigua and once confirmed, he would be deported there.

    Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne had said Dominica and law enforcement agencies, unless the court rules otherwise, can deport him to India because he is an Indian citizen, Antigua News Room reported.

    “The problem is if he is sent back to Antigua because he is an Antiguan citizen, even though his citizenship is unsettled, he is still enjoys constitutional and legal protections as a citizen.

    We have no doubt that his citizenship will ultimately be revoked because he did not disclose material of information,” he said.

    Spotting a window of opportunity in the arrest of Choksi in Dominica where he was “detained” for illegal entry, India dispatched a jet with documents related to cases against Choksy which landed at Douglas Charles Airport in Dominica on May 28.

    The team of officers are in Dominica to bring back Choksi and coordinate with the local prosecutors to put forward its best case before the high court.

    The team is arguing that Choksi continues to be an Indian citizen with an Interpol Red Notice against him.

    Browne has also said that his citizenship is under contest in court as Choksi had not revealed complete information about him.

    Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi had fled India in the first week of January, 2018 weeks before Rs 13,500 crore scam in Punjab National Bank rocked Indian banking industry.

    The duo allegedly bribed the officials of state run bank to get Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) on the basis of which they availed from overseas banks which remained unpaid.

    The alleged corrupt officials did not enter these LoUs in the core banking software of the PNB thus evading any scrutiny.

    The non payment of these LoUs or bank guarantees worth Rs 13500 crore resulted in default and became a liability on bank.

    Modi escaped to Europe and was finally held in London where he is contesting his extradition to India while Choksi took citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 where he had been staying since his escape from Delhi.

  • India sent documents for Mehul Choksi’s deportation on private jet to Dominica: Antigua PM

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI/SAINT JOHN’S: India has sent a private jet loaded with documents for deportation of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi from Dominica where he is said to have gone with his girlfriend on a romantic escapade from his sanctuary in neighbouring Antigua only to be arrested.

    Qatar Airways private jet flew a distance of over 13,000 kilometres from Delhi to Douglas-Charles airport in Dominica on Friday carrying several documents needed for deportation of 62-year-old Choksi who is wanted in Rs 13,500 crore-bank loan fraud case, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne told a local radio station in Antigua.

    Indian officials in Delhi refused to confirm or deny whether a plane had been sent to Dominica.

    According to flight status, Qatar Executive flight A7CEE left the Delhi airport at 3.44 am on May 28 and reached Dominica at 1.16 pm local time on the same day, via Madrid.

    Choksi was detained in Dominica for illegal entry after his mysterious disappearance from neighbouring Caribbean country Antigua and Barbuda where he was staying since 2018 after fleeing from India in January that year.

    Within days, the scam came to light.

    The diamantaire had taken the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 using its Citizenship by Investment program.

    Browne told the radio show that the jet is from India carrying necessary documentation needed for deportation of Choksi.

    The Dominica High Court stayed his removal from its soil and put a gag order on the developments till the matter is heard in an open court on June 2.

    India seems to have spotted a window of opportunity in the arrest of Choksi in Dominica where he was “detained” for illegal entry.

    “The information that we are getting is that Mehul Choksi may have taken his girlfriend to Dominica, probably to have dinner or have a good time and so on, and got caught.

    That would have been a monumental error because in Antigua he is a citizen, we could not deport him….,” Browne said.

    He said the Government of Dominica and law enforcement agencies, unless the court rules otherwise, can deport him to India because he is an Indian citizen, Antigua News Room reported.

    “The problem is if he is sent back to Antigua because he is an Antiguan citizen, even though his citizenship is unsettled, he is still enjoying constitutional and legal protections as a citizen.

    We have no doubt that his citizenship will ultimately be revoked because he did not disclose material information,” he said.

    Choksi has alleged that he was abducted from Jolly Harbour in Antigua and Barbuda by Antiguan and Indian looking policemen and was taken to Dominica.

    He was purportedly seen with red, swollen eyes and bruises on his hands in pictures that surfaced in Dominica.

    His lawyers have also alleged that he has marks on his body. Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted for allegedly siphoning Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) using letters of undertaking.

    Both are facing a CBI and ED probe.

    While Modi is in a London prison after being repeatedly denied bail and is contesting his extradition to India, Choksi took citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 before fleeing India in the first week of January 2018.

    The scam came to light subsequently.