Antigua and Barbuda disappointment over Indian minister's statement on CIP and Choksi

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has expressed its disappointment and concern over a statement made by Nirmala Sitharaman, the Minister of Finance of the Government of India, concerning Antigua and Barbuda's Citizenship by Investment Programme and Mr. Mehul Choksi.

A couple of days ago speaking at G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Fukuoka, Japan, over the weekend Sitharaman underscored the importance of international cooperation when it comes to dealing with economic offenders who "flee their countries to escape from the consequences of law". Adding, "she urged that closer collaboration and coordinated action were required to bring such economic offenders to face law."

In particular, the Minister is reported to have drawn attention to the case of Mehul Choksi, who, it is claimed, "surrendered his Indian passport to become a citizen of the Caribbean country Antigua and Barbuda under its Citizenship by Investment (CIP) scheme". Mehul Choksi is wanted in the multi-crore Punjab national bank(PNB) scam.

While giving a response to the statement the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, by diplomatic note to the Indian Government, made it clear "that, contrary to the Honourable Minister's claim, Mr. Choksi did not "surrender his Indian passport to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under its Citizenship by Investment (CIP) scheme".

The Government set out the facts as follows:

"• Mr. Choksi applied for Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by investment and was subjected to vetting of his background by Interpol which was provided with written and official clearance from the Police authorities in India, attesting that he had no criminal record and was not wanted or being investigated for any crime.

• Mr. Choksi was granted citizenship only after the competent police authorities in India gave him official clearance.

• He was under no obligation whatsoever to surrender his Indian passport to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under its investment programme. Any decision he made to surrender his Indian passport had nothing to do with the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship Programme".

In its note to the Indian Government, the Foreign Ministry of Antigua and Barbuda declared that, "contrary to the claim that 'residence or citizenship' is used 'to escape from legal consequences', the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, through the competent legal authorities and through diplomatic channels, has cooperated fully with the Indian law enforcement authorities in all matters related to a request for the extradition of Mr. Choksi to India. The matter of Mr. Choksi's extradition is now proceeding through the Court system as is the norm in all democratic countries".

The Foreign Ministry emphasized that Antigua and Barbuda operates one of the most reputable investor immigration programmes in the world and stressed that it does not, in any way, provide protection or immunity for criminals or criminality,

Noting that the Government of Antigua and Barbuda "greatly values its relationship with the Government of India which has always been mutually supportive and beneficial in many international and intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations organizations and the Commonwealth", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "its deep concern about the content and effect of the statement by the Honourable Minister of Finance of India" and requested that "a clarification be made to the media on the same scale of the misleading original remarks".