Interpol removes red notice against Mehul Choksi: Report

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who is wanted in the $2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, has become an unwanted man for Interpol, as it has lifted the red corner notice against him, reported Hindustan Times on Monday. Choksi was added to the red notice in December 2018.

This comes as a setback for the government of India as it protested against the removal of Choksi’s name from Interpol’s wanted list.

Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi are the two-prime accused in the multi-crore bank fraud case. They are facing a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Their properties are being auctioned to recover some part of the PNB's staggering bad loan of over Rs 11,653 crore.  

Choksi's representative convinced the global police body that Indian investigating agencies attempted to kidnap him and hence refused to comply with the Indian government's resistance to Choksi's removal from the wanted list.

Interpol said in its order "There is credible possibility that the applicant’s abduction from Antigua to Dominica had the ultimate purpose of deporting the applicant to India” and added that Choksi may face the risk of “not receiving a fair trial or treatment if returned to India”.

Choksi can now leave Antigua and Barbuda without fear of being apprehended by Interpol. Choksi apparently paid $100,000 to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda using the Caribbean nation's Citizenship by Investment programme.

“We (India) vehemently contested his charges in the Interpol and conveyed that if his red notice is removed, he may flee from Antigua, where extradition proceedings are at a crucial stage. Also, he is wanted in multiple cases,” Hindustan Times quoted an officer as saying. “Interpol red notice removal doesn’t affect our investigations or our extradition request in Antigua,” another officer was quoted as saying.

The CBI and ED have charged Choksi with loan fraud of Rs 7,080 crore. India also stated that Choksi was still a citizen of the country because the relevant authorities did not approve his application to renounce Indian citizenship.

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