Choksi will be extradited after he has exhausted all his legal options: Antigua PM
'It's not a case that we are trying to provide any safe harbour for criminals, for those who are involved in financial crimes,' PM said.
New Delhi: The Antigua and Barbuda government will revoke the citizenship of Mehul Choksi after he has exhausted all his legal options, the island’s PM Gaston Browne said, according to the Antigua Observer newspaper.
This decision paved way for his extradition to India.
"His citizenship was processed; he got through but the reality is his citizenship will be revoked and he will be repatriated to India; so there is recourse. It's not a case that we are trying to provide any safe harbour for criminals, for those who are involved in financial crimes," the Prime Minister said.
Browne added: "We have to allow for due process. He has a matter before the court and as we said to the Indian Government, criminals have fundamental rights, too, and Choksi has a right to go to court and defend his position. But I can assure you, after he has exhausted all of his legal options, he will be extradited.”
India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said he does not have any information on this matter when asked about reports of Antigua revoking Mehul Choksi's citizenship.
"I do not have information on this matter, I would not like to comment on it," S Jaishankar said.
The ED recently told the Bombay High Court that it was ready to provide an air ambulance to bring Choksi to India. Choksi, currently based in the Caribbean nation of Antigua, told the High Court that he left India for medical treatment and not to avoid prosecution in the case. He said he would return to India as soon as he is medically fit to travel.
Choksi, 60 and his nephew Nirav Modi, who is currently in a London jail, are wanted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI for allegedly defrauding the Punjab National Bank (PNB) to the tune of Rs 13,400 crore.