Big Setback To Mehul Choksi! Belgian Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Against Extradition

(MENAFN- Live Mint) In a setback to diamantire Mehul Choksi - a prime accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case - Belgium's top court on Tuesday rejected his application seeking to block his extradition. Confirming the development to PTI, Court of Cassation spokesperson, Advocaat-general Henri Vanderlinden, said,“The Court of Cassation rejected the appeal. So, the decision of the Court of Appeal stands."

Following his arrest in Belgium in April this year, Choksi had moved a plea before the Belgium Court of Cassation (equivalent to India's Supreme Court) on October 30, challenging the extradition ordered by the Antwerp Court of Appeal last month on the basis of a request from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Also Read | Mehul Choksi's extradition suspended amid his appeal in Belgium Supreme Court

Choksi, who fled to Antigua and Barbuda in January 2018 just before the fraud came to light, was later traced to Belgium, where he had reportedly gone for medical treatment. On August 27, 2024, India formally submitted an extradition request to Belgium, citing arrest warrants issued by a special court in Mumbai.

The Antwerp Court of Appeal had upheld India's request for Choksi's extradition, terming it“enforceable”.

A four-member indictment chamber at the Antwerp Court of Appeal found no infirmity in the orders issued by the pre-trial chamber of the district court on November 29, 2024, and held that the arrest warrants issued by the Mumbai special court in May 2018 and June 2021 were“enforceable”, allowing Choksi's extradition.

Also Read | Belgian court clears way for Mehul Choksi's extradition, rejects his claims

The Court of Appeal ruled that Choksi, the main accused in the ₹13,000-crore PNB scam, faces“no risk” of being denied a fair trial or subjected to ill-treatment if extradited to India.

The Court of Cassation examines only the legal aspects of the appellate court's decision - such as whether the Court of Appeal correctly applied legal provisions and followed proper procedures, Vanderlinden had explained to PTI last month.

“So, new facts or evidence cannot be introduced,” he had said.

“The proceedings are, in essence, written. As a rule, all cases are heard. If the court refuses to admit the appeal, it will be on legal grounds - for example, if the person who filed the complaint did not have the legal competence to do so,” Vanderlinden added.

Also Read | What's next for Mehul Choksi as Belgium Court 'dismisses' extradition appeal?

Of the total scam amount, Choksi alone siphoned off ₹6,400 crore, the CBI has alleged in its chargesheet.

Where do the cases against Choksi and Nirav Modi stand now?

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are prime accused in the multi-crore scam being probed by both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED.

They are accused of allegedly siphoning off over ₹13,000 crore of public money from the PNB using LoUs and foreign letters of credit (FLCs) by bribing officials of the bank's Brady House branch in Mumbai.

While Choksi is facing the extradition proceedings, Nirav Modi is lodged in London jail.
(With inputs from news agency PTI)

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