Editor’s Note
A Belgian court has approved the extradition of Mehul Choksi to India, validating his arrest and marking a significant step forward in New Delhi’s efforts to bring the fugitive diamond trader to justice.
A court in Antwerp, Belgium, has ordered the extradition of fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi to India. The court also validated his arrest by Belgian authorities on India’s request. Sources familiar with the development said this brings New Delhi a step closer to bringing him back.
According to an official familiar with the case, Choksi still has the option to appeal this decision in a higher court. The official further stated:
The Antwerp court heard both parties—Belgian prosecutors (on behalf of India) and Choksi—on Friday and ruled that his arrest and India’s extradition request were valid.
The 65-year-old Choksi was arrested by Antwerp police on April 11 based on an extradition request sent by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and has been in jail there for over four months. His repeated attempts to secure bail from various Belgian courts have failed.
His extradition was sought under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (destruction of evidence), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 477A (falsification of accounts) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 7 and 13 (bribery) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. These are also offenses under the double criminality clause of the extradition treaty with Belgium. The extradition request also cited the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
During the extradition proceedings in Belgian courts, for which the CBI sent its team at least three times and also engaged a private European law firm, India presented evidence of fraud and misappropriation of funds by Choksi and his repeated attempts to evade legal process.
The Indian government also assured Belgium that if Choksi is extradited to India, he will be kept in Barrack No. 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, which is compliant with European CPT standards. He will be provided with all facilities including clean drinking water, adequate food and medical facilities, access to newspapers and TV, the choice of treatment from a private doctor, and will not face solitary confinement.
It was also stated that he remains a wanted Indian citizen in connection with fraud exceeding $950 million, and his claim of being an Antiguan citizen is disputed. Choksi has argued before Belgian courts that he renounced his Indian citizenship on December 14, 2018, after acquiring citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda on November 16, 2017.
Indian investigators have presented documentary evidence to Belgian prosecutors regarding six bank fraud cases allegedly involving about Rs 13,000 crore by Choksi between 2018 and 2022, and the court has already accepted that there is a prima facie risk of him fleeing Belgium. The CBI tracked him to Belgium last July, after which the agency contacted the Belgian government with a formal extradition request.
