The Indian team sent to Dominica with the objecting to bring back Mehul Choksi is reportedly headed home without the fugitive diamantaire after the High Court of that country adjourned his habeas corpus petition to July and extended its order on removing him from that country.
A habeas corpus petition is filed for producing before a court a person who is under arrest or in unlawful detention.
The 8-member team led by CBI DIG Sharda Raut—stationed in Dominica for nearly seven days to bring back Choksi, who is wanted in the Rs 13,500-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, to India—flew home on a Qatar Airways private jet that took off from Dominica’s Melville Hall Airport on Thursday night, according to news agency PTI. The team was hoping to bring Choksi back to India if the Dominican court cleared his deportation.
The Dominican High Court on Thursday adjourned its hearing into Choksi’s petition. Judge Bernie Stephenson will decide the next date of hearing after meeting both sides, Antigua News Room reported. The adjournment is to allow lawyers for Choksi and the Dominica government “to agree on the language to be used with respect to the injunction filed to prevent his removal from Dominica”, the media outlet reported.
Meanwhile, in a separate proceeding, a Dominican magistrate’s court also refused Choksi bail after he was charged with illegally entering that country. His lawyers had argued that other non-nationals had received bail for similar matters, but the Dominican government tagged Choksi as a flight risk and pointed to Interpol notices against him.
Choksi, 62, was caught allegedly trying to escape from Antigua to Cuba via Dominica. He went missing 23 May, prompting a manhunt by Antigua police, and was caught 27 May in Dominica.
After his arrest in Dominica, Antigua said Choksi should be handed over to India directly. “We asked them not to repatriate him to Antigua. He needs to return to India where he can face criminal charges against him,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne was quoted as saying.
However, Choksi’s lawyer said that his client is no longer an Indian citizen and can only be sent back to Antigua, where he is already fighting cases related to his citizenship and extradition.
On Thursday, India said it will continue to fight to bring Choksi back. “India remains steadfast in efforts that fugitives are brought back… He is currently in custody of Dominica with legal proceedings underway,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
“He (Choksi) is currently in the custody of Dominica with some legal proceedings underway. We will continue to make all efforts to ensure he is brought to back India,” Bagchi told reporters. “Let me emphasise that India remains steadfast in its efforts to ensure that fugitives are brought back to India to face justice,” he added.
Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi had fled India in January 2018, weeks before the PNB scam rocked the Indian banking industry. Modi escaped to Europe and was finally held in London, where he is contesting his extradition to India. Choksi took the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017.