Mehul Choksi Likely To Face Extradition Proceedings In Belgian Court Over ₹13,000 Cr PNB Scam - Here's What We Know

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The owner of the jewellery chain, Gitanjali Group, Mehul Choksi, is likely to be presented for the extradition proceedings next week on Monday, 15 September 2025, reported the news agency PTI, citing officials aware of the development. Choksi is wanted in the ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case.

According to the agency report, Belgian federal prosecutors will lead the court hearings, with support from India's Ministry of External Affairs and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI ).

Also Read | India assures humane jail stay for Mehul Choksi if extradited How long has Mehul Choksi been in Belgium?

The news report also suggests that Mehul Choksi has reportedly been in Belgium since 2023, after he relocated from Antigua and Barbuda for medical treatment, said the people aware of the development.

Mehul Choksi's wife is a Belgian national, while Choksi fled from India in 2018 and became a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda through a citizenship by investment strategy, as per media reports.

Choksi left India on 4 January 2018. However, as per media reports, his Antigua and Barbuda citizenship was reported revoked under the Prime Minister Gaston Browne. The matter still remains under proceedings.

Mehul Choksi has been running from the Indian authorities after allegedly committing the ₹13,000 crore PNB fraud with Nirav Modi .

In January 2024, the CBI received information about Choksi's presence in Belgium, after which it dispatched an extradition request to the European nation. India has held an extradition treaty with Belgium since 2020.

Also Read | Another setback to Mehul Choksi, Belgian court rejects fresh bail plea

Choksi was arrested in April 2025 at India's request, and his bail has been denied in various courts in the nation. CBI has also engaged a European law firm specialising in extradition law to help in the case, according to the agency report.

A team of CBI officials will also be present to provide any necessary inputs, documentation, or perspectives.

CBI has also given Belgian authorities a plethora of documents-chargesheets, FIRs, and evidence summaries against him-showing that the charges he attracts in India are also punishable in that European country. This dual criminality makes it a fit case for extradition under the treaty, as per the news report.

Charges on Mehul Choksi

According to the agency report, Mehul Choksi is facing cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and falsification of accounts, along with provisions under the Prevention of Corruption Act, which constitute crimes in Belgium as well.

Also Read | SEBI attaches bank, demat, MF accounts of Mehul Choksi to recover ₹2.1 cr dues

The officials, aware of the development, told the news agency that Indian agencies have shared at least two open-ended arrest warrants, issued by a special court in Mumbai in 2018 and 2021, with their Belgian counterparts as part of the extradition request.

Among other arguments for Choksi's extradition to India is that he remains its citizen, despite having adopted the nationality of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017, because he did not complete the mandatory process to renounce his original citizenship, officials said.

India has also reportedly provided an exhaustive assurance to Belgium about prison conditions and details of the facilities that would be extended during his imprisonment in the Arthur Road Prison in Mumbai to rule out any apprehensions of custodial torture, inhuman conditions or human rights violations during his incarceration.

MENAFN10092025007365015876ID1110045476