India will use diplomatic channels to bring back Mehul Choksi from Dominica. Mehul Choksi, 62, was caught when he was allegedly trying to escape to Cuba from Antigua, where he had been living since he left India in 2018.
Choksi is said to have left Antigua and taken a boat to neighbouring Dominica. He was caught by police on a beach in Dominica, based on a lookout notice by Interpol.
Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne released a statement saying that the fugitive jeweler can be sent back directly to India to face charges after his capture, as he allegedly entered Dominica illegally.
Mr. Choksi’s lawyer argued that is no longer a possibility, as Choksi is not a citizen of India anymore and he can only return to Antigua, where according to him, a court has put a hold on processing applications from India. The lawyer also suggested that Mehul Choksi may not have landed in Dominica of his own will.
Choksi had moved to Antigua, where wealthy foreigners can become citizens in exchange for investing there, when he was linked to the PNB Scam unfolding in India. He was fighting cases in Antigua courts related to his citizenship and his extradition to India, according to the CBI.
He went missing after he was seen going to dinner on 24 May. His staff reported him missing after discovering his car.
India enjoys good ties with Dominica, having also recently sent Covid vaccines free of cost to the tiny Caribbean island as part of its “Vaccine Maitri” initiative.
It remains to be seen if this goodwill results in Mr. Choksi’s return to face investigations into the PNB scam, the largest the country has seen in recent memory.
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