Fugitive Mehul Choksi goes missing in Antigua
Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne confirmed that Mehul Choksi -- accused of siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank -- has gone missing.
FollowFugitive economic offender Mehul Choksi, who allegedly siphoned off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank, has gone missing from Antigua.
Choksi had taken citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 using the country's Citizenship by Investment programme before the scam came to light in India, forcing him to flee the country in the first week of January 2018.
Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne confirmed that Choksi had gone missing.
He also confirmed that the vehicle that Choksi used to drive to a well-known restaurant in the southern part of the island to have dinner was recovered at Jolly Harbour later that evening.
Antiguan news channels claimed that somebody from the Choksi household filed a missing-person complaint.
There is speculation that Choksi may have fled the country. Individuals holding Antigua and Barbuda passports enjoy visa-free travel to 132 countries, including the United Kingdom, Singapore, and countries in the Schengen area. However, an Interpol Red Corner Notice is out against Choksi. This means that if he enters any immigration point anywhere in the world, they will be alerted.
In August 2018, India had formally sought Choksi's extradition by invoking the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to which both countries are signatories.
In 2019, PM Gaston Browne was quoted as saying that Choksi's citizenship will be revoked and he will be extradited to India after his legal options were exhausted. The current legal status of the fugitive diamantaire is shrouded in mystery.
