New Delhi: India’s chances of securing the extradition of Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam-accused Mehul Choksi to India — from tiny Caribbean nation Antigua where he has taken citizenship — may have just brightened following reported statements from the Antiguan leadership that he could lose his citizenship.
However, there are reports that nevertheless, Choksi will be entitled to approach the courts there and exhaust his legal remedies before any extradition. But if his appeals fail, he could eventually, be brought to India to face the law.
The Indian government’s position has been that there is already an existing facility between India and Antigua that “constitutes an extradition arrangement between India and Antigua and Barbuda under their (Antiguan) Extradition Act of 1993” which “provides the legal basis for extraditing offenders from each other’s jurisdiction”.
Government sources have been maintaining that India continues to pursue Choksi’s return with the government of Antigua through diplomatic and legal channels.
