Choksi surrenders Indian passport
Mehul Choksi is now a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda.
Government sources on Monday confirmed that Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam-accused Mehul Choksi has surrendered his Indian passport to the High Commission in Guyana.
Whenever an Indian citizen acquires foreign nationality he or she is expected to surrender his Indian passport, sources said, adding that India continues to pursue Choksi’s return with the government of Antigua through diplomatic and legal channels.
India had earlier handed over a request to Antigua for extradition of Choksi who had earlier obtained citizenship of the Caribbean country.
On Monday, government sources said, “Mehul Choksi has surrendered his Indian passport to the High Commission in Guyana.
It may be kept in mind that whenever an Indian citizen acquires foreign nationality he is expected to surrender his Indian passport.
India continues to pursue Choksi’s return with the Government of Antigua through diplomatic and legal channels.”
It may be recalled that in September last year, Caribbean nation Antigua had assured India of full cooperation in the matter of extradition of Choksi to India.
Choksi is now a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda. That assurance had been furnished by Foreign Minister of Antigua & Barbuda Chet Greene to External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj during their bilateral meeting in New York then on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Antigua has been examining India’s request for extradition of Choksi, with New Delhi having said in August last year that an “extradition arrangement” already exists between the two countries as per the extradition acts of the two countries.