Six days before the event, Interpol had nixed the Red Corner Notice it had issued against Mehul Choksi.
NEW DELHI: On 18 October last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is the focal point in India for all of INTERPOL’s activities, was hosting its Secretary General Jürgen Stock who was in India for the 90th Interpol General Assembly.
Just six days before, on 12 October, INTERPOL had cancelled the Red Corner Lookout Notice (RCN) that it had issued against one of India’s most wanted fugitives, Mehul Choksi in December 2018 at the request of the CBI.
The Sunday Guardian had broken the news about the RCN being revoked in its 11 March edition. According to sources who are handling the legal matter of Choksi, Interpol decided to remove Choksi’s name from the list as it “did not comply with the requirements of the Interpol and violated human rights law (under Article 2 of the Interpol’s Constitution).”
As per a statement shared with this newspaper by a spokesperson of Choksi, Interpol’s order was very much impacted by the “kidnapping attempt” that was done against Choksi. “The report from the Antiguan police, and the evidence adduced by Mr Choksi in the ongoing High Court proceedings in Antigua, point to an alarming case of state orchestrated kidnap, torture and attempted rendition by the Indian government. The decision of Interpol to delete the Red Notice strengthens these concerns. Moreover, the preliminary ruling of the High Court in Antigua demonstrates that there is a case to answer for a full investigation. In turn, Mr Choksi has presented a compelling case that the Indian government is behind the orchestrated kidnap from Antiguan territory, the torture of Mr Choksi, and the attempt to render him to India in breach of the international rule of law,” the spokesperson told The Sunday Guardian.
The Sunday Guardian also reached out to the Interpol seeking details in the matter.
In its response, the Interpol stated that “Interpol does not therefore comment on specific cases or individuals except in special circumstances and with the approval of the member country concerned” and requested the newspaper to contact the “relevant national police authorities for any information relating to the investigation”.
The relevant police authority in the case of India is the CBI and the CBI did not respond to The Sunday Guardian’s emails seeking details of the case, including the date on which the RCN against Choksi was removed.
The CBI had last week released a statement on the cancelation of the RCN against Choksi more than five months after it was revoked, and that too after the media reported it.
The CBI has stated that the Interpol’s decision will not impact his extradition to India.
In November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at an event in Delhi, had stated that his government was using all channels to bring fugitive economic offenders who have fled the country back to India.