1 week Ago By DH Web Desk
Absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi has been arrested in Belgium following an extradition request by Indian probe agencies for his involvement in the Rs 13,000 crore PNB bank loan "fraud" case, official sources said on Monday.The action against the second "prime suspect" in this case, after Choksi's nephew diamantaire Nirav Modi, was taken on Saturday based on an extradition request moved by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED)..
Absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi has been arrested in Belgium following an extradition request by Indian probe agencies for his involvement in the Rs 13,000 crore PNB bank loan "fraud" case, official sources said on Monday.The action against the second "prime suspect" in this case, after Choksi's nephew diamantaire Nirav Modi, was taken on Saturday based on an extradition request moved by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED)..
Reports emerged that fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi was living in Belgium's Antwerp with his wife, Preeti Choksi, after obtaining a 'residency card' in the country. Following this, Indian authorities requested the Belgian authorities to initiate his extradition to India. Choksi submitted "false declarations" and "forged documents" to Belgian authorities and misrepresented his nationality in his application process, failing to disclose the details of his existing citizenship of India and Antigua, the report said citing sources.
.A special court in Mumbai allowed the auction of 13 properties of Gitanjali Gems Limited, a firm of fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi. Judge S M Menjoge of the special court hearing cases related to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), while allowing the official liquidator's plea, held that if the properties are kept idle without maintenance then it will definitely reduce the value.
These properties are: seven flats in Kheni Tower in Mumbai's Santacruz, a commercial unit in Bharat Diamond Bourse, four office units at Diamond Park in Gujarat's Surat and a shop there. .Advocate Vijay Agarwal, who appeared on behalf of Choksi, told the court that he wants to file an application to bring on record certain health issues of Choksi "who is at present in Belgium for medical treatment".
Agarwal informed the court that Choksi is suspected to be suffering from cancer..A special court rejected diamond merchant Mehul Choksi's plea against a notice issued to him on the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) application seeking to declare him a Fugitive Economic Offender in the multi-million dollar PNB scam.
Special judge for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) S M Menjoge noted that the court order issuing the notice was not based on the "wrong facts or mistaken assumptions"..The Enforcement Directorate began restituting assets worth more than Rs 2,500 crore as part of a money laundering investigation against absconding businessman Mehul Choksi in connection with the alleged Rs 13,000 crore PNB loan fraud case.
"In pursuance to the order, the process of handing over of assets has been initiated and properties worth more than Rs 125 crore have been handed over to the Liquidator of Gitanjali Gems Ltd (a company of Choksi)..A special court rejected absconding diamond businessman Mehul Choksi's plea seeking records related to the suspension of his passport from the regional passport office.
Choksi claimed that he can not return to India as his passport is suspended on the ground of a "security threat to India". .Diamantaire Mehul Choksi told a special court that he hasn't been able to return to India “due to reasons beyond his control” and hence cannot be declared a “fugitive economic offender”.
The accused has claimed that he didn’t leave India to avoid criminal prosecution nor is he refusing to return to the country. He said his passport has been suspended by Indian authorities..
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) ordered liquidation of jewellery retailer Gitanjali Gems, promoted by absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi, under Section 33 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.The bench also appointed Santanu T Ray as the liquidator, who will complete the liquidation process as per the provisions of the IBC, 2016, according to an NCLT order, filed on BSE. .
The Delhi High Court directed Mehul Choksi to deposit Rs 2 lakh with it before proceeding further with his appeal challenging the dismissal of his plea to pre-screen the ‘Bad Boy Billionaires’ docuseries on online video streaming platform Netflix.The high court noted that Choksi is neither an Indian citizen nor a resident of India, and there are several proceedings pending against him in the country. It said if he does not succeed in his appeal, and any costs are imposed against him, there will not be a way to recover the amount.
.Markets regulator SEBI ordered the attachment of bank accounts and shares and mutual fund holdings of fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi to recover dues totalling Rs 5.35 crore.
This decision was after Choksi failed to pay the fine imposed on him in October 2022 by SEBI in a case pertaining to indulging in fraudulent trading in the shares of Gitanjali Gems Ltd..The CBI asked an Interpol body to restore the Red Notice against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, terming its earlier decision to drop his name from the list had "serious shortcomings, procedural violations, overreach of mandate and mistakes".
The Commission for Control of Interpol's Files (CCF) which had removed Choksi's name from the list of fugitives based on his appeal last year is a separate Interpol body which is "not under the control" of the Interpol Secretariat and is mainly staffed by elected lawyers from different countries where people can challenge decisions to declare them fugitives..The CBI filed a fresh FIR against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi for allegedly cheating a Canara Bank-led consortium to the tune of Rs 55.
27 crore.The agency also booked Bezel Jewellery and its whole-time directors, including Choksi, Chetna Jhaveri, Dinesh Bhatia and Milind Limaye..
The ED filed a fresh charge sheet against absconding jeweller Mehul Choksi, his wife Priti and others under the anti-money laundering law in connection with the over Rs 13,000-crore PNB loan fraud case, officials said on Monday.This is the first prosecution complaint filed by the federal agency against Choksi's wife Priti Pradyotkumar Kothari.She was charged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with "helping her husband in layering of the proceeds of crime".
.The CBI filed a fresh case against absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi, wanted along with his nephew Nirav Modi in a loan fraud case of Rs 13,500 crore, for allegedly inflating the value of diamonds and jewellery pledged to get Rs 25 crore loan from IFCI.The CBI booked Mehul Choksi, his company Gitanjali Gems and valuers Surajmal Lallu Bhai and Co, Narendra Jhaveri, Pradip C Shah and Shrenik Shah.
.Sebi barred fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi and one Rakesh Girdharlal Gajera from the capital markets for one year and levied a fine totalling Rs 2.5 crore on them for violating insider trading rules in the matter of Gitanjali Gems.
In addition, they had been restrained from buying, selling or otherwise dealing in securities of Gitanjali Gems Ltd (GGL) for a period of two years. .Diamantaire Mehul Choksi landed in Antigua and Barbuda, where he had been staying since 2018 after leaving India, after 51 days of custody in neighbouring Dominica for illegal entry which his lawyers claim was a kidnapping plan, local media reported.
Choksi, 62, was given bail by Dominica High Court to travel back to Antigua for seeking medical help from a neurologist based there.After depositing bail money of EC Dollars 10,000, Choksi in a shirt and shorts flew back to Antigua in a chartered plane, Antigua News Room reported.While seeking bail, Choksi had attached his medical reports, including CT scan, which showed "mildly worsening hematoma".
.Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit termed "total nonsense" the claims that his government was involved in alleged abduction of diamantaire Mehul Choksi, wanted in Rs 13,500 crore scam in Punjab National Bank, from neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda, local media there reported..
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said he was not aware of "any conclusive evidence" but there is information in public domain that diamantaire Mehul Choksi was abducted and law enforcement agencies may be having some "persons of interest" after their research.Choksi had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen..
Companies owned by fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi have allegedly siphoned off over Rs 6,344.96 crore from the Punjab National Bank (PNB) using fraudulent letters of undertaking and foreign letters of credit, a CBI investigation into the scam has detected..
Gurjit Bhandal, one of the persons reportedly named in the "abduction" of Mehul Choksi from Antigua and Barbuda on May 23, denied any link to the case and claimed that he had left the Caribbean island on May 23 morning on a yacht, according to local media reports.In his complaint to the Antigua police, Choksi claimed that he was abducted on May 23 evening when he had gone to a place where his "friend" Barbara Jabarica, also a suspect in the case, was staying. .
Fugitive Diamantaire Mehul Choksi who was held in Dominica after his mysterious disappearance from Antigua and Barbuda has alleged that his "friend" Barbara Jabarica was instrumental in his abduction which involved musclemen claiming to be Antiguan Police and mercenaries looking like Indians.The police started the investigation after receiving a complaint from Choksi, Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne said..
Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who had recently fled from Antigua and Barbuda, was captured in neighbouring Dominica after an Interpol Yellow Notice was issued against him.Police in Dominica captured Choksi after an Interpol Yellow Notice was issued by Antigua and Barbuda..
Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi went missing in Antigua and Barbuda where he had been staying since January 2018, the Royal Police Force of the Caribbean island nation said in a statement. The police force which launched a missing person operation issued a statement along with the photograph of the businessman seeking information from public. .
The Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth over Rs 14 crore belonging to the Gitanjali Group and its promoter and jeweller Mehul Choksi, one of the prime accused in the alleged over Rs 13,000 crore PNB loan fraud case.. The Delhi High Court dismissed a plea by Mehul Choksi, an accused in the nearly $2 billion PNB scam, to conduct pre-screening of Netflix documentary, Bad Boy Billionaires.
The court said his remedy lies in a civil suit and granted him the liberty to raise the issue in a civil suit..The Enforcement Directorate (ED) brought back over 2,300 kg of polished diamonds and pearls worth Rs 1,350 crore of firms belonging to Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi from Hong Kong.
Out of the 108 consignments that landed at Mumbai, 32 belong to overseas entities in the UAE and Hong Kong "controlled" by Nirav Modi while the rest are of Mehul Choksi firms, it said in a statement..SEBI slapped a total fine of Rs 5 crore on fugitive Mehul Choksi, Gitanjali Gems and another individual for violating various regulations, including listing norms, in connection with a massive fraud on state-run lender PNB.
Choksi, promoter and managing director of Gitanjali Gems, is the maternal uncle of Nirav Modi, who is also facing charges for defrauding state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) of over Rs 14,000 crore..The CBI requested a court to declare Mehul Choksi, the prime accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, a proclaimed offender, saying he has failed to respond to a non-bailable warrant.
In an application before special judge for CBI cases V C Barde, the agency said Choksi left the country even before the first FIR was filed in the case to "conceal himself"..Mehul Choksi is a "crook" and will be repatriated to India after he exhausts all legal options, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said, insisting that the bank fraud fugitives' deportation is "just a matter of time".
"He is allegedly a crook. If we would have known that he is a crook, he could not have gotten the Antiguan citizenship," he said on the 60-year-old jeweller's deportation..
Diamantaire Mehul Choksi told the Bombay High Court that he left India for medical check-up and not to avoid prosecution in the case.Choksi, was was based in the Caribbean nation of Antigua, filed an affidavit through his advocate Vijay Aggarwal, stating he had left the country in January 2018 for getting medical check-up and treatment abroad..
A dozen luxury cars of PNB scam accused businessmen Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi were auctioned, fetching the government exchequer Rs 3.29 crore, the ED said Friday. The vehicles were attached by the agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the past.
.Bank fraud fugitive Mehul Choksi surrendered his Indian passport to the High Commission in Guyana..
"The Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against Mehul Choksi on the request of the CBI," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal had said..The Antigua government assured India of its full cooperation in the extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi.
"Greene conveyed to the EAM the assurances of his Prime Minister for the fullest cooperation of their Government in the matter of extradition of Mehul Choksi to India," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had tweeted..Absconding jeweller Mehul Choksi claimed that the charges of money laundering and corruption against him are a "big political conspiracy" and that there was "extraordinary pressure" on the ruling dispensation to bring back at least one bank defaulter as this has the potential for changing the results of forthcoming elections.
.An ED investigation has found that absconding jeweller Mehul Choksi diverted over Rs 3,250 crore funds, allegedly defrauded from a PNB branch in Mumbai, to foreign shores and he was in business of "highly inflating" prices of precious metals sold from his outlets.The businessman has rejected the charges as "baseless".
India handed over a request to Antigua for extradition of bank fraud fugitive Mehul Choksi who has obtained citizenship of the Caribbean nation.Official sources said a team from India was sent to Antigua few days back to pursue the authorities there to extradite Choksi..
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) moved a special PMLA court seeking to declare diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi as 'fugitive economic offenders' and to confiscate their assets worth Rs 3,500 crore in the $2 billion PNB fraud case, officials said.They said two separate applications, under the recently promulgated Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, were filed against the duo before the court that hears matters under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)..
Gitanjali Gems promoter Mehul Choksi moved a special court seeking cancellation of a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against him.Choksi's lawyer Sanjay Abbot moved the application before special CBI court judge J C Jagdale.In the application, he claimed that he cannot travel because of his medical condition.
.The CBI filed its chargesheet against billionaire jeweller Mehul Choksi and 17 other entities, including companies owned by him and other individuals, in connection with the over $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, officials said.The charge sheet was filed before a special CBI court in Mumbai.
.A special CBI court in Mumbai issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against billionaire diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi in connection with the cases related to over $2 billion banking fraud in the Punjab National Bank. .
Jeweller Mehul Choksi refused to join a CBI probe in the $2 billion PNB scam and claimed that "untenable" allegations had resulted in "sudden closure" of his business and exposed him and his family to "threats" from former associates.In his letter to the CBI dated March 16, Choksi also mentioned his medical condition, suspended passport, media trial to decline the agency's communication asking him to join the probe..
A special court issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in the alleged Rs 12,700 crore Punjab National Bank scam.The court, set up under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), issued the NBWs on applications filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), one of the agencies probing the bank fraud cases registered last month..
The passports of diamantaire Nirav Modi and owner of Gitanjali Gems Mehul Choksi, the main accused in the Rs 11,400 crore PNB scam, were revoked..The Delhi High Court directed the police to investigate cheating allegations levelled against Gitanjali Gems promoter Mehul Choksi in an FIR lodged in 2016 by the owner of one of its retail franchise.
A bench of Justice Mukta Gupta asked the police to file a report on the matter while noting that the probe was on a standstill as the complainant and the accused were trying to negotiate a settlement.The diamond merchant had approached the high court for quashing of the FIR lodged against him for allegedly cheating an engineer's firm in 2016.The CBI has registered a fresh FIR against Gitanjali Group promoter Mehul Choksi in connection with alleged fraud in the issuance of Letters of Understanding worth Rs 11,400 crore from Punjab National Bank.
The CBI alleged that the new FIR pertains to 143 LOUs worth over Rs 4,886 crore fraudulently issued to three companies of Choksi -- Gitanjali Gems, Nakshatra and Gili -- during the period 2017-18, they said. The agency had earlier registered a separate case involving Rs 280-crore fraud, which has now been expanded to cover LoUs worth Rs 6,498 crore issued to accused companies of Nirav Modi and Choksi..
(With PTI inputs).
