In the latest development, Dominica’s High Court onWednesday has adjourned the extradition matter of fugitive diamantaire MehulChoksi till Thursday.
The adjournment order came hours after the governmenttold the Court that Choksi “has to be deported to India.” Notably, Choksi iswanted in the PNB fraud case of over Rs 14000 crore.
However, now the court hasordered that fugitive Choksi should be produced before a magistrate court immediatelyon the charges of entering the country illegally.
It may be noted here that duringthe hearing, Choksi’s lawyer had argued that his client doesn’t feel safe inthe police custody in Dominica.
"Iam ready to pay for my return to Antigua," he told the high court.
According to some media reports, theDominican Public Prosecution Service submitted which submitted the petition filedby Mehul Choksi to the High Court of Dominica is "not maintainable",and hence it "should not be heard.”
It is to be reiterated here, legalteam of fugitive diamantaire lodged the habeas corpus plea last week afterChoksi was detained in Dominica, as there were reports that he had entered thecountry illegally from Antigua and Barbuda.
It has been alleged by his legalteam that Mehul was ‘abducted’ and ‘forcibly taken’ to Dominica, where he wasallegedly assaulted. Also, marks of injuries could be spotted on his body.However now, Choksi has been hospitalized after sustaining injuries and he wasproduced before the court trial through a video conference.
Apparently, Chokshi obtained thecitizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 months before his PNB fraud casecame to light in 2018. Since then, he has been staying there.