PNB scam: Mehul Choksi’s bail petition rejected by Belgian court

A Belgian court on Tuesday rejected the bail petition of diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, who was arrested earlier this month in the Punjab National Bank fraud case, ANI reported.

Choksi was arrested by the Belgian police in the city of Antwerp on April 12 after India made an extradition request in connection with the alleged fraud case. He is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.

Choksi’s lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said he was disappointed with the court having denied bail, but said that Belgian law allows for multiple bail petitions. “We will carefully consider the court’s observations and submit a fresh bail plea on new grounds soon,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Aggarwal said that Choksi’s legal team will contest his extradition based on two key arguments – the political nature of the case and concerns about his medical condition and access to treatment in India. The lawyer had said earlier this month that Choksi was undergoing cancer treatment.

Choksi is one of the prime accused, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, in the PNB fraud case.

The fraud came to light in February 2018 when the bank informed the stock exchange BSE that it had detected “fraudulent and unauthorised transactions” worth Rs 11,380 crore at a branch in South...

Read more

News