Belgian Court Approves Fugitive Jeweller Mehul Choksi's Extradition To India

-
https://ift.tt/pmeKHz3

A court in Belgium on Friday approved the extradition of fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi to India. The court in Antwerp ruled that Choksi's arrest by Belgian police, based on India's request, was valid.

Although Choksi still has the right to appeal to a higher court, this marks a crucial first step toward his return.

The court heard arguments from both sides - Belgian prosecutors representing India and Choksi's legal team.

Choksi was arrested by Antwerp police on April 11 and has been in jail for the past four months. His multiple bail pleas have been rejected by Belgian courts.

India has charged the 66-year-old with fraud, conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and corruption under IPC Sections 120B, 201, 409, 420, and 477A, along with Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. These offences are also punishable under Belgian law, fulfilling the condition of dual criminality.

India cited international conventions like the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC)and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to support its case. The CBI visited Belgium three times to present evidence and hired a European private law firm to assist.

India assured Belgian authorities that upon extradition, Choksi would be held in Barrack No. 12 of Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail, with facilities meeting European standards, including clean water, food, newspapers, TV, and access to a private doctor. He would not be placed in solitary confinement.

It also assured "high-level of security" in the cell, with a clean, thick cotton mat, pillow, bed sheet, and blanket. The cell would be swept and mopped daily, along with supply of fresh drinking water, outdoor exercises, rest areas, board games such as chess and carrom, and badminton, the prison department said.

India maintains that Choksi is still an Indian citizen, disputing his claim of Antiguian citizenship. Choksi told the court he renounced Indian citizenship on December 14, 2018, and acquired Antiguian citizenship on November 16, 2017.

India presented evidence of Rs 13,000 crore worth of bank frauds committed between 2018 and 2022. The court acknowledged that Choksi posed a real flight risk, making his arrest justified.

The CBI located Choksi in Belgium in July 2024 and formally submitted an extradition request.

October 17, 2025 at 09:54PM

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/J2jsgop
via

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marriage Proposal Rejected, Karnataka Man Kills Woman, Dies By Suicide

-
https://ift.tt/OpvwVM9 Karnataka's Belagavi witnessed a horrifying crime today when a young woman was brutally murdered by a man after she refused to marry him. The accused then took his own life at the spot. Aishwarya Mahesh Lohar, 20, was murdered at a house near Nath Pai Circle, where she was staying. The accused, 29-year-old Prashant Kundekar from Yellur village in Belagavi taluk, had been in love with Aishwarya and had been pursuing her for over a year, the oolice said. Prashant Kundekar, who worked as a painter, had previously approached her mother, expressing his desire to marry her. However, her mother had advised him to first focus on becoming financially stable, said sources . Earlier today, Prashant arrived at Aishwarya's aunt's house with a bottle of poison. He once again insisted that Aishwarya marry him, but when she refused, he tried to force her to drink the poison. As she resisted, Prashant pulled out a knife from his pocket and slit her throat. Aishwar...
Read more

Tortured For "300 Gold Sovereigns", Newlywed Woman Dies By Suicide

-
https://ift.tt/kjmhSd6 A 27-year-old woman, who was married only about two and a half months ago, has died by suicide after holding her husband and in-laws responsible for her decision to end her life, police said on Monday. Just before she ended her life by consuming pesticide, the woman, Rithanya, in an audio message to her father, alleged that her husband, Kavinkumar, tortured her physically. She alleged that her father-in-law Easwaramurthy and mother-in-law Chitradevi caused her mental torture. The victim's father alleged that her husband and in-laws demanded dowry, and problems began just about 15 days following the wedding. He told reporters that her daughter had to endure "physical, mental and monetary torture." Her in-laws harassed her, stating that her father assured "300-500 sovereigns gold" but she had brought less to her matrimonial home. On such allegations of dowry harassment, a police officer said the accused would be charged with that offence ...
Read more

Harassed By Lenders, Man Kills Wife And Son, Survives Suicide Attempt: Cops

-
https://ift.tt/95DpPxC A 45-year-old man on Saturday allegedly killed his wife and minor son by administering them a heavy dose of sleeping pills before attempting suicide due to “harassment” by moneylenders, police said. The man, Vaibhav Hande from Chikhali near Pune city, is being treated in a hospital and police have booked four persons, identified as Santosh Kadam, Surekha Kadam, Santosh Pawar and Javed Khan, in connection with the deaths, the official said. In his complaint, Vaibhav said he gave several sleeping pills to his wife Shubhangi Hande, 36, and their 9-year-old son Dhanraj in the morning, resulting in their death. Vaibhav then tried to hang himself from a ceiling fan in their flat. On Friday night, Vaibhav had sent a note on the mobile phone of his 14-year-old son, whom he had sent to his relative's place in Mumbai, detailing his plan. The teenager panicked after reading the message in the morning and made frantic calls to their neighbours to check on his family....
Read more