Mehul Choksi loses final appeal in Belgium over extradition to India

BELGIUM's supreme court, the Court of Cassation, on Tuesday (9) rejected the appeal of fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi challenging the extradition request of India in connection with the £1.2 billion alleged bank fraud in Punjab National Bank, authorities in that country said.

Choksi, who escaped to Antigua and Barbuda in January 2018, days before the scam was detected, was spotted in Belgium, where he had reportedly sought treatment.

India had sent an extradition request to Belgium on August 27, 2024, based on arrest warrants issued by a special court in Mumbai.

Responding to PTI, spokesperson for Court of Cassation, advocaat-generaal Henri Vanderlinden, said, "The Court of Cassation rejected the appeal. So, the decision of the Court of Appeal stands."

The Antwerp Court of Appeal had upheld India's request for Choksi's extradition while terming it "enforceable".

A four-member indictment chamber at the Court of Appeals in Antwerp did not find any issue in the orders issued by the pre-trial chamber of the district court on November 29, 2024, terming the arrest warrants issued by the Mumbai special court in May 2018 and June 2021 as "enforceable", allowing Choksi's extradition.

The Court of Appeals had ruled that Choksi, the main accused in the PNB scam, faces "no risk" of being denied a fair trial or subjected to ill-treatment if he is extradited to India.

The pre-trial chamber of the Antwerp District Court, Turnhout Division, in its order dated on November 29, last year, held that the arrest warrants against Choksi issued by the Mumbai court were enforceable, except for the order related to "causing the disappearance of evidence of the crime".

When Choksi appealed against this verdict, it rejected his claims that he personally faces a real, present and serious risk of being subjected to denial of justice, torture or inhuman and degrading treatment in India.

India has given a number of assurances to Belgium about Choksi's safety, the charges that he would face during trial in India, prison arrangements, human rights and medical needs.

The Court of Appeals had ruled that 66-year-old Choksi faces "no risk" of being denied a fair trial or subjected to ill-treatment if he is extradited to India.

Dismissing the appeal filed by Choksi against the district court, the Court of Appeals held that the businessman failed to provide "concretely plausible" evidence of a "genuine risk" of torture or denial of justice.

It held that the documents Choksi submitted do not substantiate his claims that he is the subject of a political trial.

The Court of Cassation only checks the decision of the court of appeal "on legal aspects" such as whether the court of appeal correctly applied the legal provisions, and whether they follow the right procedure, Vanderlinden had said last month.

The public prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in Antwerp, Division Turnhout, initiated an action on November 25, 2024, seeking the enforcement of arrest warrants issued by the Mumbai court.

(PTI)