Mehul Choksi denied bail by Dominica High Court
(Sourced from PTI)
The Dominica High Court has denied bail to fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi in the case of illegal entry into the island country, local Caribbean media reported. The High Court on Friday gave the ruling by concluding that Choksi was a flight risk, did not have any ties with Dominica and the court could not impose conditions that will stop him from leaving the country.
Choksi, 62, who has an Interpol Red Notice against him, had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen after fleeing from India. He was detained in the neighboring island country of Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumored girlfriend.
Choksi's lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat. He was also brought before a Roseau magistrate, on the orders of High Court Judge Bernie Stephenson, hearing Habeas Corpus matter, to answer charges of illegal entry where he pleaded not guilty but was denied bail.
The promoter of Geetanjali Gems and other famous diamond brands in India, Choksi had fled the country weeks before Rs. 13,500 crore fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB) allegedly involving him and his nephew Nirav Modi surfaced. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Brown had requested Dominica to deport Choksi to India. However, Dominica had indicated that he might be repatriated to Antigua.
