Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi has been traced to Belgium’s Antwerp, where he is residing with his wife, Preeti Choksi, a Belgian citizen. According to sources concerned with the development, Indian authorities have already engaged with their Belgian counterparts to commence the process of extradition.
The diamantaire, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank (PNB) of Rs 13,850 crore, was previously believed to be in Antigua and Barbuda.
However, Antigua’s Foreign Minister, E. P. Chet Greene, informed ANI on 19 March that Choksi had departed the Caribbean nation for medical treatment while still retaining his Antiguan citizenship.
According to reports, the 65-year-old has secured an 'F residency card' in Belgium, obtained on 15 November 2023, facilitated by his Belgian-national wife.
Under Belgian law, this card permits a third-country national residing legally in Belgium to be accompanied or joined by a spouse under specific conditions.
It has been alleged that Choksi used fabricated and misleading documents to apply for Belgian residency, thereby attempting to evade extradition proceedings.
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While he has not renounced his Indian citizenship, concerns persist that if his temporary residency transitions into permanent status, he may gain the ability to travel across Europe, complicating efforts to repatriate him to India.
Reports further indicate that Choksi may be preparing to relocate to Switzerland for medical treatment at the Hirslanden Klinik Aarau, potentially invoking humanitarian grounds to resist extradition.
Choksi absconded from India in January 2018 following revelations of the PNB fraud case. In May 2024, he informed a special court in Mumbai that he was unable to return to India due to 'reasons beyond (his) control' and, therefore, should not be designated as a 'fugitive economic offender.'
This statement followed the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) application to declare him a fugitive economic offender for evading summons, seeking the confiscation of his assets.
The fugitive’s whereabouts have drawn international scrutiny before. In May 2021, Choksi disappeared from Antigua, prompting speculation that he had been abducted by Indian authorities.
These claims were debunked when he surfaced in Dominica, another Caribbean island nation.
In December 2024, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed Parliament that assets valued at Rs 22,280 crore had been recovered or liquidated to settle debts linked to financial fugitives, including Choksi.
Meanwhile, his nephew, Nirav Modi, also accused in the PNB fraud case, remains entangled in legal proceedings in the United Kingdom, contesting his extradition to India.
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