Antigua Rejects India’s Plea to Extradite Mehul Choksi In PNB Scam case

Despite repeated efforts by India, Government of Antigua and Barbuda refused to arrest or extradite Mehul Choksi to India, relating to the alleged Rs.13,500 crore PNB fraud. The Government also conveyed the Indian High commissioner that it would not stop Mehul Choksi to leave Antigua.

According to the Indian Express, On July 31st, a letter was sent to Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and CBI Director Alok Verma byForeign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, who informed that In a meeting which was held where Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne, India High Commissioner, The attorney general and solicitor general of Antigua were present, PM Browne cleared the fact that the Antigua government denied the request from India because there is the absence of extradition treaty between the two countries, so the Govt. of Antigua is protecting Mehul Choksi as its citizen.
India had raised three conditions through the letter – revoke Choksi’s Antiguan passport, detain him immediately, and either deport him to India or begin extradition proceedings. However, Antigua Prime Minister Browne did not pay heed to these demands and claimed that Choksi’s passport could not be revoked as there anything illegal during the procedure of the application of the citizenship in Antigua. Also, there were no shortcomings whatsoever, the letter read.
Browne added that the Antigua government could not detain Choksi, nor it can stop him from visiting other countries of the World. The detainment of the Gitanjali Gems promoter may happen only if India was prosperous in issuing ‘red notice’ against him through Interpol. The application for the same from India’s side is still pending with the Interpol, The Indian Express reported.

 

Author: sarkarimirror