Officials said the order marks a significant step forward in India’s efforts to bring Choksi back to face trial in the ₹13,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. Choksi, however, has the option to appeal the decision in a higher court in Belgium.
New Delhi: In a major breakthrough for Indian authorities, a court in Antwerp on Friday cleared the extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, ruling that his arrest by Belgian authorities on India’s request was valid.
Officials said the order marks a significant step forward in India’s efforts to bring Choksi back to face trial in the ₹13,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. Choksi, however, has the option to appeal the decision in a higher court in Belgium.
“The order has come in our favour. The court has termed his arrest valid. The first legal step toward his extradition is now complete,” a senior official said.
The case against Choksi was presented jointly by Belgian prosecutors and Indian officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who argued that Choksi had orchestrated the massive fraud in collusion with his nephew Nirav Modi. The prosecutors maintained that Choksi poses a flight risk and should not be released from custody.
After hearing both sides in mid-September, the Antwerp court upheld the legality of his arrest. The 66-year-old businessman was apprehended in Belgium on April 11 based on India’s extradition request. His multiple bail pleas have been rejected by courts there.
India has assured Belgian authorities that, once extradited, Choksi will be housed in Barrack No. 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, which meets European standards for prisoner accommodation. The Union Home Ministry, in a communiqué dated September 4, stated that the cell offers sufficient living space, ventilation, and sanitation facilities in line with the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) guidelines.
The government has also detailed the prison conditions — including access to clean bedding, daily cleaning, outdoor exercise, yoga sessions, board games, newspapers, and television — as part of its assurance of humane treatment.
Choksi, who fled to Antigua and Barbuda after obtaining citizenship there, was detained in Belgium earlier this year, prompting swift coordination between the CBI, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Ministry of Home Affairs to pursue his extradition.
Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank through fraudulent Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Foreign Letters of Credit (FLCs) issued by the bank’s Brady House branch in Mumbai. These documents allegedly enabled their companies to obtain credit from several overseas banks without proper collateral or approval.
When the firms defaulted, PNB was forced to repay ₹6,344.97 crore (about USD 965 million), including interest, to foreign banks such as SBI Mauritius, Allahabad Bank Hong Kong, and Axis Bank Hong Kong.
The CBI, which invoked the UN Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime and Corruption in its extradition request, submitted two open-ended arrest warrants issued by a Mumbai special court in 2018 and 2021.
Nirav Modi, declared a fugitive economic offender, has been in a London jail since his arrest in 2019 and is contesting his extradition to India.
Officials described the Belgian court’s ruling as a “decisive development” that strengthens India’s case to bring Choksi back to face justice in one of the country’s biggest banking frauds.
