Mehul Choksi moves PMLA court to revoke his non-bailable arrest warrant

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Mar 26, 2019

Mehul Choksi made a new application at a Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Mumbai to revoke the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him citing ill health and fears for his life. 

Jewellery tycoon and Gitanjali Group promoter Mehul Choksi, accused of fraud at the Punjab National Bank along with his nephew Nirav Modi, again sought to cancel his non-bailable arrest warrant on March 22, just days after Modi's arrest.

The non-bailable warrant for Choksi’s arrest was issued on May 22, 2018, after the Central Bureau of Investigation filed its second charge-sheet in the PNB fraud case. The court will meet on April 9, 2019, to make a decision concerning Choksi’s request.

Choksi has argued that he cannot make the long trip from Antigua to India for medical reasons.  As part of the hearing, Choksi’s counsel provided detailed medical documents showing a long history of heart problems and a blood clot in the brain.

Other reasons Choksi cited for being unable to return included supposed fears for his life. Neither does he possess Indian citizenship, having become a citizen of Antigua through the investment route before the scandal came to light in February 2018.

Although India has no extradition treaty with Antigua and Barbuda, investigation agencies have reported that Choksi’s extradition process has begun following months of negotiations.