‘Total nonsense’: Dominica PM reaction to Mehul Choksi's India-Dominica plot
Dominican PM Roosevelt Skerrit rejected Mehul Choksi’s charge that his government was playing along with authorities in Antigua and India to get the fugitive businessman extradited.
FollowFugitive businessman Mehul Choksi’s claims that he was brought to the island as part of a plot between Dominica, India and Antigua and Barbuda were rejected by Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit on Thursday. The PM Skerrit called such allegations “total nonsense”.
This is the first time that Skerrit has responded to accusations by Mehul Choksi and his family that the three governments colluded to send the businessman to India to stand trial in a Rs 13,500 crore bank fraud case.
Choksi’s legal team has alleged that he was abducted by police officers from Antigua and India on May 23 and brought to Dominica on a boat the next day, where he was received by senior police officers of Dominica. It is alleged that the plan was to quietly deport him to India.
In his weekly “annou palay” show, Skerrit said his government will allow the court to carry out its process regarding Choksi and gave the assurance that his rights and obligations will be respected, Dominica News Online reported.
Skerrit refuted the allegations of a plot between India and Dominica government to kidnap Choksi from neighbouring Caribbean country Antigua and Barbuda, where he was staying since 2018 as a citizen, after fleeing from India, and bring him to Dominica, the news portal reported.
“To say that the government of Dominica and the government of Antigua along with India colluded in any way, give me a break, that’s total nonsense. We don’t get involved ourselves in those kinds of activities, those practices, not at all. I mean that is absurd and we reject it and it is unfortunate that anybody would want to propagate this unsubstantiated claim by a gentleman who is before the courts,” he was quoted as saying by Dominica News Online.
The prime minister underlined that his government will evenly apply the law irrespective of who is accused of committing any crimes.
Skerrit said his government will allow the court to carry out its process regarding Choksi and stressed that his rights and obligations will be respected by Dominica.
He also expressed support for the government of Antigua’s move to revoke Choksi’s citizenship. Choksi, who took citizenship of Antigua via its Citizenship by Investment Scheme in November 2017, is currently contesting a move by the Antiguan government to revoke his citizenship and a second case relating to his extradition to India.
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