Dominica High Court adjourns Mehul Choksi's bail hearing until June 11

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jun 10, 2021

Jewellery tycoon Mehul Choksi appealed for bail in Dominica but the High Court denied his initial plea, deeming him a flight risk, and adjourned the hearing until June 11. 

Mehul Choksi, former promoter of Gitanjali Gems and accused of fraud at the Punjab National Bank has said he was kidnapped and taken to Dominica from Antigua against his will. The island’s authorities say he entered illegally and detained him, taking him to hospital for medical treatment. As the case continues to cause political ripples across the Caribbean, Choksi’s bail petition was denied at a recent hearing, the Press Trust of India reported. 
 
Choksi had approached the Dominica High Court led by high court judge Wynante Adrien-Roberts after the magistrate rejected his bail petition. The hearing was conducted via video conferencing to address the plea of habeas corpus put forward by Choksi’s local legal team made up of Julien Prevost, Wayne Norde, Wayne Marsh, and Cara Shillingford-Marsh.

Choksi’s bail refusal for his deemed flight risk echos that of his nephew, and fellow accused, Nirav Modi. After his capture in London, UK, Modi was repeatedly denied all bail pleas for the same reason. Indian authorities are attempting to extradite Choksi directly from Dominica to India to stand trial but Choksi’s legal team argue this is illegal as Choksi is now an Antiguan citizen, not Indian.