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Dominica high court adjourns Choksi’s bail plea till June 11

Dominica high court adjourns Choksi’s bail plea till June 11

THE DOMINICA high court has adjourned a hearing on a bail plea filed by fugitive Indian businessman Mehul Choksi till June 11.

Choksi approached the high court after a magistrate rejected his bail petition on June 2.


The bail hearing took place before high court judge Wynante Adrien-Roberts through a video link.

The judge adjourned the matter till June 11, local media reported.

Separately, the high court is also attending to a habeas corpus petition filed by Choksi's lawyers; that hearing has also been adjourned.

Choksi went missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda, where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen

He was detained in neighbouring Dominica over illegally entering the Caribbean Island. His lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like they were from Antigun and India and brought to Dominica on a boat

Antigua police began investigations into Choksi's alleged kidnapping to neighbouring Dominica after his lawyers filed a complaint there.

The diamantaire is wanted in a £1.32 billion loan fraud case relating to the Punjab National Bank (PNB) in India.

A team of Indian officials travelled to Dominica to try and secure his deportation, but they returned last week after the high court adjourned the matter.

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  • UK life sciences sector contributed £17.6bn GVA in 2021 and supports 126,000 high-skilled jobs.
  • Inward life sciences FDI fell by 58 per cent from £1,897m in 2021 to £795m in 2023.
  • Experts warn NHS underinvestment and NICE pricing rules are deterring innovation and patient access.

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Britain is seeking to attract new pharmaceutical investment as part of its plan to strengthen the life sciences sector, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said during meetings in Washington this week. “We do need to make sure that we are an attractive place for pharmaceuticals, and that includes on pricing, but in return for that, we want to see more investment flow to Britain,” Reeves told reporters.

Recent ABPI report, ‘Creating the conditions for investment and growth’, The UK’s pharmaceutical industry is integral to both the country’s health and growth missions, contributing £17.6 billion in direct gross value added (GVA) annually and supporting 126,000 high-skilled jobs across the nation. It also invests more in research and development (R&D) than any other sector. Yet inward life sciences foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 58per cent, from £1,897 million in 2021 to £795 million in 2023, while pharmaceutical R&D investment in the UK lagged behind global growth trends, costing an estimated £1.3 billion in lost investment in 2023 alone.

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