New Delhi: The Antwerp Court of Appeal in Belgium will hear fugitive Indian diamond merchant Mehul Choksi’s appeal against the enforceability of arrest warrants issued by a special CBI judge in Greater Mumbai on 29 April.
This follows the Antwerp court’s rejection of Choksi’s bail plea on 24 April amid India’s extradition request over his alleged role in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.
The court had denied bail citing concerns that Choksi, who fled India in 2018 and later acquired Antiguan citizenship, might abscond.
An official from the Antwerp Attorney General’s Office while speaking to the Sunday Guardian said that the court feared that Choksi would evade the Belgian justice system and this cannot be neutralized by paying a bail and hence he was not given a bail.
This observation was borne due to Choksi’s history of evading authorities.
The Sunday Guardian first revealed in December 2024 that Choksi was in Belgium, reporting, “Mehul Choksi is suing GOI in the UK to delay extradition,” highlighting his efforts to complicate India’s extradition pursuits.
Choksi was Arrested on 11 April by Antwerp police following requests from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The April 29 hearing will determine whether the arrest warrants issued in 2018 and 2021 are enforceable, a critical step toward his potential extradition and whether Choksi remains detained or secures temporary release while contesting extradition.
Relevant Indian agencies are working in tandem to ensure that Choksi does not evade justice this time, which he had managed to during his stay in Antigua and Barbuda and Guyana.
India has invoked international conventions, including the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the UN Convention against Corruption, to bolster its extradition case. A joint CBI-ED team is preparing to travel to Belgium to assist with the proceedings.