India requests Mehul Choksi's extradition, multi-agency team set to visit Belgium

​The Belgian Federal Public Service of Justice has confirmed that fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi was arrested in Belgium on April 12. India has formally requested his extradition in connection with the Rs 13,850 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case.

Choksi, who had been residing in Antwerp with his wife, was apprehended just days before his scheduled bail hearing. In response, India has dispatched a multi-agency team to Belgium to expedite legal proceedings and facilitate his return. ​

A high-level multi-agency team from India is set to travel to Belgium ahead of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s bail plea hearing scheduled later this month.

The team, comprising officials from the CBI, ED, and Ministry of External Affairs, aims to expedite legal and diplomatic efforts to ensure Choksi’s return to India.

Choksi, wanted in the Rs 13,850 crore PNB fraud case, was arrested on Saturday in Brussels after years on the run. The move came after local authorities confirmed his presence in the country.

Also read: "His human rights will be greatly affected": Mehul Choksi's lawyer raises concerns about extradition

The Rs 13,850 crore PNB fraud

The 65-year-old fugitive diamond merchant who left India on January 2, 2018, is wanted by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly defrauding the PNB of Rs 13,850 crore. His nephew, Nirav Modi, was also involved with him in the fraud.

Sources said that preparations were being made for his extradition to India. However, Choksi has started preparing for a legal battle, with lawyers looking to secure bail.

After the arrest of fugitive Indian businessman Mehul Choksi in Belgium, his lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, said on Monday that they will be filing an appeal to release the businessman from custody, citing his ill health and ongoing cancer treatments.

"My client, Mehul Choksi, has been arrested in Belgium, and at the moment, he is in custody. We will be starting the process of filing an appeal against this, and then, as a process of appeal, we will be requesting that he be pulled out of prison. The major ground for the plea is his ill health and that he is undergoing cancer treatment, and of course, he is not a flight risk at all," Choksi's lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, told ANI in Delhi.

Also read: Who is Mehul Choksi? Fugitive Diamond Trader in ₹13,500 Crore Scam

PNB scam whistle-blower on Mehul Choksi

After the arrest, Punjab National Bank Scam whistle-blower Hariprasad SV said that it would be very difficult for India to get Mehul Choksi back home as he will employ the best lawyers in Europe to avoid the process.

Speaking to ANI, Hariprasad recalled the time when Choksi succeeded in evading the process when he was caught in Dominica.

"Extradition is not an easy task. Choksi's wallet is full, and he will employ the best lawyers in Europe to avoid the process like what Vijay Maliya has been doing. I don't think it is going to be easy for India to get him back," he said.

He also mentioned that Choksi cheated at least 100 franchises, and most of them filed cases in different cities in India.

Also read: 'His wallet is full, extradition not easy': What PNB scam whistle-blower said on Mehul Choksi's arrest (WATCH)