Last Updated:
Mehul Choksi had challenged a Belgian court’s October 17 order that termed the arrest warrants issued by a Mumbai special court as “enforceable”, allowing his extradition.
Mehul Choksi appealed against the Antwerp court’s order declaring India’s extradition request “enforceable,” with the process now on hold in Belgium’s top court. (IMAGE: AFP)
Belgium’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest judicial authority and roughly equivalent to India’s Supreme Court, will hear fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s plea challenging his extradition to India on December 9.
Choksi filed an application on October 30, challenging the October 17 order of the Antwerp Court of Appeals, which had termed India’s extradition request “enforceable.” The court had earlier ruled that Choksi, the main accused in the Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, faced “no risk” of being denied a fair trial or subjected to ill-treatment if sent back to India.
Responding to a query by CNN-News18Advocaat-generaal Henri Vanderlinden confirmed the development, saying the court will only look into the legal aspect of the Court of Appeals’ verdict on Choksi’s extradition.
Vanderlinden said that no new facts or evidence would be put forth in the upcoming hearing, and all parties must convey their complaints in writing before the court when they appeal. He said they cannot add anything else after they file the appeal.
Previous Verdict Against Mehul Choksi
On October 17, a four-member indictment chamber of the Antwerp Court of Appeals upheld an earlier order issued by the pre-trial chamber of the district court on November 29, 2024. It found no irregularity in the arrest warrants issued by a Mumbai special court in May 2018 and June 2021, ruling them “enforceable” and clearing the way for Choksi’s extradition.
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.
New Delhi has assured Brussels repeatedly regarding Choksi’s safety, the charges that he would face during trial in India, prison arrangements, human rights and medical needs. India informed the court that Choksi would be held at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, Barrack No. 12, a 46-square-metre facility with two cells and private sanitary amenities.
On August 27, 2024, India had sent an extradition request to Belgium based on arrest warrants issued by the Mumbai special court. Following this, 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.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Choksi siphoned off Rs 6,400 crore out of the Rs 13,000 crore in the PNB scam. He fled India in January 2018, days before the fraud came to light, and later acquired citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda. He was recently located in Belgium, where he had reportedly travelled for medical treatment.
Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU violence, De…Read More
Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU violence, De… Read More
November 20, 2025, 8:48 PM IST
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
