A Belgian court has dismissed the bail argument of the Mehul Choksi -one accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case. A bench of three judges heard the arguments before pronounced the verdict against bail.
Choksi was arrested last week in Belgium following an official request by Indian officials.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jiswal said during the weekly media briefing that India was working with Belgian side to extradition of Choksi.
“As you know, based on our extradition request, he was arrested in Belgium. We are working closely with Belgian side for him. Extradition in India So that he could face the trial in the country, “Jaiswal said while responding to a query.
Earlier, Choksi’s Indian lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, was seen before the bail hearing in Antarp and also visited Choksi in jail.
After his arrest, Aggarwal stated that the legal team plans to appeal to the verdict, stressing the “sick health and ongoing cancer treatment of Choksi”, as there is a primary basis for demanding their release. “My customer, Mehul Choksi, is currently in custody. We will begin the process of filing an appeal and request his release from prison, citing his medical condition and the fact that he is not a flight risk,” Aggarwal told ANI.
During a press conference held in Delhi, Aggarwal underlined the defense strategy to fight Choksi’s extradition on two major grounds: concern over the political nature of the case and the treatment of Choksi’s health status in India. He argued that extradition could severely affect Choksi’s human rights, “especially due to lack of adequate medical care and the risk of harassment by political institutions.”
Aggarwal claimed that Choksi was cooperative with Indian investigative agencies and had expressed his desire to participate in the investigation through video conferencing due to his health issues.
The legal team also indicated procedural pre-prejudices for extradition, including issuing non-by-up-to-up warrants since 2018. Aggarwal had noted that previous attempts to extradite Choksi from Dominica had failed, and Choksi was receiving medical treatment in Antigua before a trip to Belgium to care for cancer.
