Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit termed fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi as an “Indian citizen” and stated that the courts will decide what happens to the fugitive. He added that the government will protect the rights of Choksi as he awaits trial.
Currently, Choksi has got interim relief from immediate repatriation to India by the Dominican court, which adjourned the matter of his detention.
Loop Jamaica News quoted that Dominica PM as saying that, “The matter with this Indian citizen is before the courts, the courts will decide what happens to this gentleman and we allow the court process to go through.”
“His rights will be respected as have been done thus far and let the courts decide what has to happen in that regard. We have no interest in so far as the issues in Antigua and the issues in India. We are part of a whole community and we have to recognise our duty and our responsibility,” Skerrit said.
Choksi had gone missing from Antigua on May 23 after going out for dinner and was soon caught in Dominica. He was charged with illegal entry by the police in Dominica after he allegedly escaped from Antigua and Barbuda in a possible attempt to evade extradition to India.
The 62-year-old fugitive is wanted in India in connection with a Rs 13,500-crore fraud in the Punjab National Bank (PNB).
According to the Writeups 24, Choksi’s disappearance from Antigua and Barbuda and his apparent attempt to escape to Cuba, was unlike the Hollywood drama that it was made out to be. The Caribbean newspaper said that the whole planning was to manipulate the entire scenario into an abduction story, and the media was trapped in a hoax created by Choksi’s family on the advice of his lawyers.
Responding to such media reports, Mehul Choksi’s brother on Monday sent a legal notice to Caribbean-based media outlet Associate Times, for publishing an article, what they termed as “fake, unsubstantiated, false and with unverified facts.”
The media outlet had recently reported that Chetan Chinubhai Choksi, the elder brother of Mehul had the day after he landed in Dominica met with the leader of opposition Lennox Linton at the latter’s home for two hours and had promised to pay for election donation in exchange of support from the opposition to press the matter in the parliament.
Chetan Choksi’s lawyer Ayush Jindal, said his client has sought an unconditional apology and issuance of a corrigendum clarifying the correct facts, in all print and digital media, and other social media platforms.
Jindal in the legal notice stated: “Notice to cease and desist from reporting fake, unsubstantiated, false and unverified news against my client Chetan Choksi in respect to the matter of Mehul Choksi and thus, removal of the false news report from all mediums and to publish an unconditional apology to my client for reporting such false and fake stories and issue a corrigendum clarifying the correct facts, in all print and digital media, and other social media platforms.”
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All had too much of this international scamster and criminal Choksi family, capitalizing, deceiving and literally insulting us! It is now a global media circus.
Pls pack-him-off to his India immediately and rid us of all this torture & shame, due to the folly of our selfish politicians.
What really is Choksi’s citizenship? Is it Indian, Antiguan and Barbudan or both? We know the latter is not permissible under the Indian Constitution, so why there is no clarity as to his real citizenship. Choksi’s Indian lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, says that Choksi is not an Indian citizen since he had to renounce his Indian citizenship when he became an Antigua and Barbuda citizen in 2018 under the CIP programme. I certainly will go with the information from Choksi’s Indian lawyer since he should know. Why then does it appear as if Skerritt and Gaston do not seem to know with any certainty the extant citizenship of Choksi? Are they both feigning ignorance to suit their preferred strategy of dealing with the Choksi grenade in their hands? If Choksi is in fact a citizen of Antigua and not India, then after his legal troubles in Dominica are completed he can only be sent right back to his country Antigua and Barbuda. Prime Minister Browne, I hope when the Choksi Dominica saga is over that you will welcome him back to Antigua with the same wide open arms as you did in 2018 when he got his Antigua and Barbuda citizenship.
What does it matter? Indian or Antiguan citizenship it matters not as Choksi is wanted in India for bank fraud. Choksi is now in Dominica and the courts will decide if he goes to Antigua or India. If he goes back to Antigua he will eventually be extradited to India.
Thank JAH I still have all the recordings from 2017 when Choksi appeared with his Antiguan and Barbudan Criminal Investment Passport. One question I would love to ask the law firm of the old fart and his minion what crimes did Choski committed on Antigua and Barbuda? You guys are awfully quiet, hmmmm! Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. This Law firm was the loudest voices along with the top dawg defending Choski’s constitutional rights. I guess the next door law firm will defend Choksi to the end. Murder a now he sweet!
You can only hope that the rule of law prevails. If the politicians overrule the courts, then we are doomed to life under dictatorship.
You can only hope that the rule of law prevails. If the politicians overrule the courts, then any pretence of democracy is gone and we are doomed to life under dictatorship.
India claims him as their citizen. Send him to Delhi and let them sort it all out. They want him back “home”. Have a pleasant journey.
In the midst of this Choksi’s Hollywood-type crime-action drama, myopic citizens In Antigua & Barbuda as well as Dominica (fueled by Choksi’s legal team and paid media) have ended-up politicking and blaming the ruling or/and opposition leaders for all the mess. This unwarranted diversion is exactly how established criminals grease their way to freedom, since it becomes easy for the judiciary and executive to wash their hands-off, for significant rewards, especially when billion dollar scamster’s come under a judge’s hammer once in a lifetime!
Few are neither aware of the seriousness and extraordinary crime committed by this sex-starved ‘fugitive economic offender’ nor the loss, pain and suffering of millions of poor and middle class in India.
After bribing’s a few employees, using fraudulent letters of undertaking (LOUs) without any securities, Mehul Choksi looted a global record-breaking amount of USD 2.3 billion from the PNB bank and swiftly stashed the amount in various safe heaven’s abroad. Along with his nephew Nirav Modi, Wife, Son, Brother Chetan..etc, he was already into selling super-premium diamond jewellery (were all fake) through 4000 stores in India and aboard. Most of his family members are already on the Interpol’s wanted list for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, money laundering, corruption, massive fraud, defaulting, cheating and dishonesty since February 2018. In March 2019, nephew Nirav Modi was arrested by UK authorities and has been in a London jail, waiting for extradition to India anytime. Surprisingly, Choksi’s brother and son, still continue the family’s fraud & fake diamond business in UK and Antwerp!
The Punjab National Bank, is the 2nd largest Indian Govt bank that primarily caters to the middle class and poor, compared to ICCI, HDFC, Standard Chartered..etc. Hundreds of middle-class Indian families have done suicide (despite the Govt guaranteeing a small portion of a Fixed Deposit) after the major bank declared vast amounts as NPAs and the common man’s life long savings got wiped out
In January 2018, Choksi had escaped from India, initially to New York and then quietly settled in Antigua, before the news of the mega scam became public and global arrest warrants against him were issued.
In Antigua & Barbuda, he was about to be extradited to India after exhausting all his innumerable appeals. By faking a ‘kidnapping’ if caught, he shrewdly planned a well-funded escape to Cuba which has no extradition agreement with India, hence Choksi’s retrieval from the island rouge nation would have been much more difficult than before. However, things did not go according to Choksi’s plan as he was captured by Dominican authorities when en-route to Cuba.
Lol. @ Thomas. What percentage of what you wrote is FACT / FICTION?
Thomas all your rambling does not suit the details being uncovered right now so save it. India is calling him an Antiguan so when Dominican is done its back to Antigua for him. Antigua was losing the extradition case no wonder he miraculously ended up in Dominica. Despite his crimes, his kidnapping cannot go unnoticed. You can convince yourself that he made it up but the evidence unfolding dictates otherwise so your wishful thinking is a waste. Let wait on Scotlandyard. They dont waste time if they dont see a case. Prepare to have your CITIZEN back
Antigua was losing according to you yet mere days before he ran t Dominica he changed lawyers. The act of a drowning rat
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