The Antwerp Court of Appeal has formally advised the Belgian government to approve Mehul Choksi’s extradition on six of seven charges filed by India.
The Mehul Choksi extradition case centres on one of India’s largest banking frauds, valued at approximately Rs 13,000 crore. The Belgian Ministry of Interior now holds the final say.
Mehul Choksi, 65, former promoter of Gitanjali Gems and uncle of Nirav Modi, fled India in January 2018 before the Punjab National Bank fraud surfaced, later gaining citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda and moving to Belgium for treatment.
According to Central Bureau of Investigation charge sheets, Choksi’s firms bribed officials to obtain fraudulent LoUs and FLCs from Punjab National Bank’s Brady House branch, with Business Standard reporting 165 LoUs and 58 FLCs issued in 2017 alone and kept off the books via the SWIFT system.
How Did the Belgian Extradition Case Begin?
India’s CBI tracked Choksi to Belgium in July 2024 and filed a formal extradition request on August 27, 2024.