Belgium Court rejects fugitive Mehul Choksi's plea against extradition to India
PTC News Desk: Belgium’s top court, the Court of Cassation, on Tuesday dismissed fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi’s appeal against India’s request to extradite him in the Rs 13,000-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case, Belgian authorities said.
Choksi had fled to Antigua and Barbuda in January 2018, just before the scam came to light, and was later located in Belgium, where he had reportedly gone for medical treatment. India had formally sought his extradition on August 27, 2024, based on arrest warrants issued by a special Mumbai court.
A spokesperson for the Court of Cassation said the appeal was rejected, meaning the earlier ruling by the Court of Appeal remains valid. Officials said extradition proceedings will now move forward. The Antwerp Court of Appeal had previously approved India's extradition request, calling it “enforceable.”
A four-member indictment chamber of the Antwerp Court of Appeals had found no flaws in the district court’s pre-trial orders from November 29, 2024, which upheld the arrest warrants issued by the Mumbai special court in May 2018 and June 2021. The court concluded that Choksi, the key accused in the PNB scam, would face “no risk” of unfair trial or mistreatment if sent back to India.
The Court of Cassation’s role is limited to reviewing whether the Court of Appeal correctly applied the law and followed proper procedure, officials had explained earlier.
- With inputs from agencies
