No direct flight to come to India, too ill to take a 41-hour long flight, says Mehul Choksi

Mehul Choksi, one of the prime accused in the Rs 14,000-crore PNB scam, said that he was willing to co-operate in the investigation against him, but refused to travel to India citing bad health. In an affidavit to the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Choksi also said that he was willing to appear before a special court and investigating agencies through video conferencing.

Choksi also refuted accusations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that he was not ready to join the probe in the PNB fraud case. He said the agencies could question him in Antigua.

The fugitive diamond businessman also said that there was no direct flight between Antigua and India and his doctors had advised him not to take 41-hour long flight due to his medical condition.

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"I am currently residing in Antigua and willing to co-operate in the investigation. If court may deem it fit, it may direct the investigating officer to travel to Antigua," Choksi said in his statement.

In his affidavit, Choksi listed the details of diseases he is suffering from to prove his point. It said he was suffering from heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, weight loss and elevated white blood cells.

He also said that he did not leave India to flee from the law but to receive medical treatment. Choksi is presently holed up in Antigua and Barbuda. He acquired the citizenship of the Caribbean country a month before the CBI unearthed the PNB scam in January 2018.

Earlier this month, the ED stated before the Bombay High Court that Choksi was a "fugitive and absconder", wanted in the PNB scam.

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(Edited by Vivek Punj)