Mehul Choksi Arrested: As fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi was arrested in Belgium on India’s request, talks are gaining momentum about his possible extradition. However, the Punjab National Bank scam whistleblower said that the process is not going to be smooth for India as Choksi not only has a lot of money but also a fleet of good lawyers. Hariprasad SV, who blew the lid off the PNB scam involving Choksi and Nirav Modi, said that it may take a lot of time before India could get them back.
“We have to follow a process when we are dealing with a foreign country depending on the country that we are dealing with. The laws and the legal systems are going to take place. It takes a lot of time, but I hope they can get him back. That’s only hope because he’s not going to take it easy. It’s only in 2016 that he stashed away at least two billion dollars. I don’t know how much he must have multiplied that…,” said Hariprasad SV.
The whistle-blower further said that the extradition is not going to be an easy task. “His wallet is full, and he will employ the best advocates in Europe, as Vijay Mallya has been doing. It is not easy for India to get him back… Even though he was caught in Antigua, he managed to get out of it as he had a fleet of lawyers. It’s not going to be so easy for the government of India, but I hope the government succeeds this time,” he said.
“It’s really great news. We are very glad for all those people who were cheated by Mehul Choksi in India. It’s unbelievable how he got caught in Belgium… It’s also important that we not only get him back to India but also get back the money he looted, that is what India needs…,” he said.
On the other hand, Choksi’s lawyer in India said that the extradition is not going to be easy for India. “If a country makes a request to another country, then the process is that first the person is arrested and then he is granted bail and then his extradition is contested. It has become very difficult for India after losing the case of Sanjiv Bhandari. I don’t think extradition can be done so easily, moreover after Bhandari’s judgement,” said Advocate Vijay Aggarwal.
Aggarwal said that Choksi was in Belgium for cancer treatment. “Non-bailable warrants have been issued against him since 2018. It is a prerequisite for extradition that there has to be an open-ended non-bailable warrant. Earlier, they tried to pick him up from Dominica where they failed. So then by the Dominican court order, my client was getting his treatment in Antigua. For his medical treatment, he had to go to Belgium and he has been there getting his treatment for the cancer. Arrest is a process. Whenever for any country, there is an extradition request made by another country wherein they have a treaty. First of all, the person has to be arrested, then the person has to show that he’s got community ties, and then we have to show that he is not a flight risk and that there is a medical condition. So that’s the only ground…” he said.
The lawyer added that they are going to start the process of filing an appeal against Choksi’s arrest. “We will be requesting that he be pulled out of prison. The major ground for the plea is his ill health and that he is undergoing cancer treatment…,” he said.
Bureau Report
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