Mehul Choksi Extradition: India to send its High-Commissioner to Dominica next week

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: Searching possibilities to extradite Indian fugitive Mehul Choksi, the government of India would be sending its High Commissioner to Dominica on 3 June 2021, local media reported.

According to Writeups 24, sources in the office of Arun Kumar Sahu, High Commissioner of India based in Trinidad and Tobago, have revealed that HC is all set to travel to Dominica to discuss possibilities for the extradition of wanted fugitive Mehul Choksi. The meeting between the Governments of Dominica and India would most likely be held on coming Thursday.  

Notably, all matters related to Indians in Dominica are subjected to the High Commissioner of India based in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Media reports further stated that Mehul Choksi would remain in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) until a decision on his extradition to India is finalized.

Mehul Choksi who had gone missing from Antigua was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on late Tuesday evening from Canefield, Roseau.

Disappearance from Antigua

A domestic worker of Mehul Choksi informed the Antigua and Barbuda police about his sudden disappearance on Sunday, following that a missing report was also filed in a local police station. 

Antiguan authorities had confirmed that Choksi had not taken any air route, expressing possibilities of him departing through an illegal sea route.

Close aide Govin's take

Soon after Choksi went missing, his close aide Govin told media that he had gone to Cuba, where he owns a safe house. He also confirmed that Mehul Choksi did this to escape his possible extradition to India. 

Govin told media that he lived with Mehul Choksi at his Antiguan resident and have been with him ever since he arrived on the twin-island.

"He is a liability," Antiguan Prime Minister's take

Even the authorities in Antigua and Barbuda have denied taking Mehul Choksi back in the country, stating that his presence defames the country's citizenship by investment programme and its bilateral relations with India, which assisted by providing thousands of Astra-zeneca vaccine doses.

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Prime Minister Gaston Browne described him as a 'liability and stated his citizenship could be revoked.

Mehul Choksi facing the courts

Currently, Mehul Choksi is fighting two cases in court, one related to his citizenship status and the other to his extradition back to India.

The Indian government have been seeking the extradition of Mehul Choksi in a $2 billion fraud that he committed by conspiring with two employees of Panjab National Bank - India's second-largest state-owned lender.

Dominica government’s take

The Ministry of Nations Security and Home Affairs of Dominica on Thursday morning released a press release confirming his arrest as reported by WIC News. The release stated that once the information is provided by the Antigua authorities, possible arrangements will be made for Mehul Choksi to be repatriated to Antigua.