Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has suffered a major legal setback as Belgium’s Court of Cassation rejected his appeal against extradition to India in the Rs 13,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.
The top Belgian court upheld the findings of lower courts and ruled that Choksi would not face injustice, torture, or inhuman or degrading treatment if sent back to India. The court said Choksi failed to prove that there was any real, present, or serious risk to his life or safety in India.
Choksi had moved the court to oppose his extradition, claiming that he would be denied justice and subjected to torture in India. However, the Court of Cassation agreed with the Antwerp Court of Appeal’s indictment chamber, which had earlier ruled that these claims were not supported by evidence.
With this ruling, the path for Choksi’s extradition to India has been cleared.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chargesheet, the total PNB scam amounts to Rs 13,000 crore, out of which Choksi alone allegedly siphoned off around Rs 6,400 crore.
In its order issued on Wednesday, the Court of Cassation reaffirmed that the charges against Choksi are extraditable offences under Belgian and Indian law. The court also imposed a fine of €104 on Choksi for filing the rejected appeal.
The decision removes the final legal hurdle in Belgium, and the country’s executive authorities are now expected to take the next steps to formally hand over Choksi to Indian authorities.
