Fugitive Mehul Choksi’s extradition to India stalled as Belgian govt says case ‘still under examination’
Four months after a court in Antwerp ruled that fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi can be extradited to India, the concerned Belgian ministry supposed to take a call on his repatriation is sitting on the decision and has said the matter is “still under examination”.
“The decision issued by the Indictment Chamber of the Antwerp Court of Appeal in April was an advisory opinion and did not constitute a final decision on the extradition request. The case is still under examination. At this stage, we are unable to provide any further information or comment,” said Sharon Beavis, spokesperson for the Belgian justice minister, Annelies Verlinden, in an email to HT.
Indian officials said the delay was unwarranted as they had already established a strong case with foolproof evidence against Choksi, based on which Antwerp court ruled that there is an applicable legal base to extradite the fugitive diamantaire to India.
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“In any extradition case, the final decision is ultimately of the government of that country. We are waiting for the Belgian government to approve his extradition,” said an officer, who asked not to be named.
Antwerp court backs extradition
On April 3 this year, an Antwerp court of appeal rendered an advice towards the Belgian government concerning the request made by the Indian authorities for the extradition of Mehul Choksi, based on the allegation of having committed the crimes of fraud, criminal conspiracy and forgery between December 31, 2016 and January 1, 2019 in India.
The court had also rejected Choksi’s claims that he was being targeted due to political reasons.
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Choksi remains in Antwerp prison
Choksi, 67, is held in a prison in Antwerp following his arrest on April 11 last year at India’s request. Indian investigators have accused Choksi of six bank frauds between 2018 and 2022 involving amounts totalling nearly ₹13,000 crore.
Charges cited in extradition request
His extradition was sought under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (destruction of evidence), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 477A (falsification of accounts), and sections 7 and 13 (bribery) of the Prevention of Corruption Act; which are crimes in Belgium as well under the dual criminality clause of the extradition treaty.
The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) were also invoked in the extradition request.
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Source: www.hindustantimes.com