New Delhi: Fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi, accused in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank scam, will face a decisive hearing before the Antwerp Court of Appeal on 19 September, when judges take up his appeal against the enforceability of arrest warrants issued by a special CBI court in Mumbai.
Belgian officials confirmed to The Sunday Guardian on Monday night that a decision will follow later, with no interim relief available to Choksi until then.
Informed sources told this newspaper that if Choksi loses the appeal on 19 September, it would clear the biggest legal hurdle to his extradition. The Belgian court’s endorsement of the Indian warrants would mean he remains in custody in Antwerp while the justice ministry begins the process of transferring him to India. Though he could attempt a limited appeal to Belgium’s Court of Cassation, such a move would only test points of law rather than revisit the facts, leaving him with little room to delay. Indian officials believe that once the warrants are validated, his extradition could be completed before the end of the year.
It is pertinent to mention that Choksi was arrested in Antwerp on 11 April after India formally sought his extradition under the bilateral treaty ratified in 2020. The Antwerp court subsequently rejected his bail plea on 24 April, citing fears that he might once again abscond given his history of evading authorities. His appeal against the enforceability of the Indian arrest warrants, first heard in late April, is now before the appellate bench.
For years, Choksi has used every means available to resist being sent back to India. Now, however, the options before him appear to be narrowing quickly.
After fleeing the country in January 2018, just before the PNB scam became public, he obtained citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda and sought to use multiple jurisdictions to delay proceedings.
In December last year, The Sunday Guardian had revealed in an exclusive piece that Choksi was in Belgium, receiving treatment in a hospital in Antwerp and suing the Government of India in UK courts in an effort to complicate extradition attempts. He had also launched a damages case claiming mental and physical trauma caused by Indian agencies’ actions, seen widely as a tactic to stall legal proceedings.
Choksi’s family has long-standing ties to Belgium, with siblings and relatives residing in Antwerp. His presence there allowed Indian agencies, including the CBI and Enforcement Directorate, to press for action under the India–Belgium extradition treaty, which covers serious financial crimes like fraud, corruption and money laundering. India has also invoked global conventions such as the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the UN Convention against Corruption to strengthen its plea.
The Antwerp hearings will determine whether the Indian arrest warrants from 2018 and 2021 are valid for execution in Belgium, a decisive step in the long-running extradition battle. For India, which has already sent joint CBI-ED teams to coordinate with Belgian counterparts, the outcome could mark a breakthrough after years of frustrated efforts.
Official sources told the Sunday Guardian that Choksi’s extradition was inevitable and it could happen as soon as before this year ends as all the requirements that the Belgium judicial system needs before extraditing a fugitive, has been met and also communicated to relevant authorities.
