Mehul Choksi bribes officials in Antigua: Report

Mehul Choksi, one of India’s most wanted fugitives, has been buying protection in Antigua by bribing a number of officials, according to the investigations by Kenneth Rijock, a famous financial crimes investigator.

He said that Choksi has been scheming to illegally extend the court process in Antigua, by paying bribes to government officials, including senior Antigua police official, Adonis Henry.

According to numerous eyewitnesses, Choksi and Inspector Henry have apparently been meeting at least three times each day at Al Porto, a restaurant in Jolly Harbor that Choksi is said to own, said Rijock in his financial crime blog.

Along with getting in touch with Henry, Choksi reportedly tried to buy off Antigua magistrate Conliffe Clarke by making illicit contributions.

Rijock said that his sources confirmed that Clarke and Henry conspired together to interfere with Interpol’s efforts to detain him for extradition to face the music in India.

Choksi was supposed to be extradited to his home country of India, where he is accused of stealing the equivalent of millions of dollars, but unscrupulous government officials, judges, and law enforcement officers in Antigua were able to prolong the process, but only after receiving hefty bribes.

After obtaining a Citizenship by Investment (CIP/CBI) passport in Antigua, Choksi, a billionaire due to deceptive consumer business tactics and significant bank fraud, has evaded Indian law for several years despite an active Interpol Red Notice calling for his arrest.

The fugitive who participated in the Punjab National Bank Scam in India before escaping the country in 2018 has received a Red alert from Interpol.

PNB said that two of its employees had “fraudulently” issued LoUs and transmitted SWIFT instructions to the overseas branches of Indian Banks. This was done to raise the buyer’s credit for the firm of a diamond merchant without making entries in the bank system.