Belgium’s Antwerp Court of Appeal has recommended that diamond trader Mehul Choksi can be extradited to India, and has forwarded its opinion to the Belgian government for consideration.
The court reviewed seven charges sought by Indian authorities and held that six of them are punishable under Belgian law. These include conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, preparing forged documents, accounting irregularities, gaining unlawful benefits with the involvement of public officials, and misconduct.
However, the allegation related to destruction of evidence was not treated as an extraditable offence under Belgian law, the court said.
Choksi, who is accused along with his nephew Nirav Modi of defrauding Punjab National Bank of about Rs 13,000 crore, had challenged an earlier extradition clearance granted by a Belgian high court in October last year. During the proceedings, Belgium’s top court also ruled that there was no flaw in the extradition process and allowed the case to continue.
The appeals court rejected Choksi’s claims that he was abducted from Antigua in 2021 with any link to India, and also dismissed his arguments that he would face torture or denial of justice if sent back. Belgium’s government is expected to take the final call on surrendering him to India.
