Mehul Choksi denied bail in Belgium

Indian Express

22-04-2025

A court in Belgium on Tuesday rejected the bail application of fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi. He was arrested by the Belgium authorities on April 12 after an extradition request was made by India, in connection with the Rs 13,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case.
Choksi, who is in detention in Antwerp, had filed a plea seeking liberty or to be released on bail pending extradition proceedings.
His lawyer Rahul Agarwal confirmed to The Indian Express that Choksi's plea for bail was rejected by a court in Belgium. He said that further decision on the next legal steps will be taken when the detailed order copy will be made available to them.
Choksi's detention is in anticipation of further judicial proceedings against him, a spokesperson of the Belgian Ministry of Justice had said.
Choksi had sought to be released till the proceedings are heard and a request that he may be permitted to defend himself in the extradition proceedings while not in custody. He had sought to fulfil necessary conditions for his release. The plea was mainly on the ground that Choksi was suffering from cancer and was in need of medical care.
Choksi had escaped India in 2018. Officials of the CBI are in Belgium to carry out the legal procedures. Cases were filed against Choksi by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate, following allegations that he and his nephew Nirav Modi–also facing extradition proceedings in the UK at India's request–had in separate offences cheated PNB by getting fraudulent Letters of Undertaking issued and got enhanced Foreign Letters of Credit without following bank procedure.
Despite summons and warrants, Choksi had not remained present for the proceedings against him, giving various reasons including his health for not appearing before Indian authorities. He had taken citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 and was residing there since.
A plea to declare him a fugitive economic offender under the Act of the same name is pending before a special court in Mumbai, which will permit authorities to confiscate his properties even before the trial if he does not remain present before court. His lawyers had recently told the court in Mumbai that he had travelled to Belgium to undergo health treatment after being diagnosed with cancer and other medical complications.