Choksi says he was kidnapped, denied bail by Dominica court

New Delhi, June 3: Antigua and Barbuda prefers that fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi be repatriated from Dominica to India directly, the Cabinet of the Caribbean island country decided in a meeting, local media reported.

The Cabinet minutes published by a media outlet show that the “Choksi matter” was one of the agenda items discussed on Wednesday where it was held that Mr Choksi is now a “problem” of Dominica and if he comes back to Antigua and Barbuda the “problem reverts” to it.

The meeting chaired by Prime Minister Gaston

Browne and attended by all his ministers physically and virtually decided that law enforcement officials will continue to gather intelligence in the circumstances of Mr Choksi’s “departure” from Antigua, but “the preference of the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda is for Choksi to be repatriated to India from Dominica,” the Cabinet minutes said.

Meanwhile, a Dominica magistrate has denied bail to Mr Choksi, who was arrested on May 23 for alleged illegal entry to the Caribbean island country. Mr Choksi had mysteriously gone missing on

May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he was staying since 2018 as a citizen. He was detained in neighbouring island country Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend.

Mr Choksi, wanted in India in connection with a Rs 13,500-crore fraud in the Punjab National Bank (PNB), pleaded before the magistrate that he was abducted and forcibly brought to Dominica from neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda, about 100 nautical miles away. His lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat.

The 62-year-old wheelchair-bound diamantaire, who has a pending Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) against him, arrived before the presiding Roseau Magistrate Court in a black pair of shorts and a blue T-shirt from the Dominica China Friendship Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.

The Dominica high court, which was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Mr Choksi, had ordered him to be present before the magistrate to face charges of illegal entry. A habeas corpus petition is filed for producing before a court a person who is under arrest or in unlawful detention.

During the hearing before magistrate Candia Carrette-George, the Dominica prosecution cited two main arguments to keep Choksi under detention -- the RCN against him and the ongoing extradition proceedings in the courts of Antigua and Barbuda, where he is staying since 2018 after leaving India. Prosecutor Sherma Dalrymple told the court that Mr Choksi is a "flight risk" and does not have any ties in Dominica that prevent him from fleeing the country if bail is granted.

Defence counsel Wayne Norde said Mr Choksi was not a flight risk considering his health and the pending extradition proceedings in Antigua and Barbuda were also a reason for him not to leave Dominica.

Offering to pay a bail amount of ECD 10,000, double the fine amount for illegal entry to Dominica, Mr Norde said Mr Choksi did not have any criminal case in Antigua and Barbuda and the proceedings against him were civil in nature, which shows that he is a a man of good character.

In her order, the magistrate said considering the "severity" of the matter, she is not convinced that Mr Choksi will stay in the country to face legal proceedings and adjourned the matter till June 14.

India’s ministry of external affairs on Thursday said India remains steadfast in its resolve that fugitives of the country are brought back and all efforts would continue to bring back Mr Choksi, who is wanted in a major banking fraud here.

"He (Choksi) is currently in the custody of Dominica where some legal proceedings are underway. We will continue to ensure that he is brought back to India," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters at an online press briefing.