Fugitive Mehul Choksi living in Belgium, plans to move to Switzerland for treatment

New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, who is wanted in India for his alleged involvement in a Rs 13,500-crore bank loan fraud, was previously believed to be residing in Antigua and Barbuda before reportedly travelling and residing in Antwerp, Belgium, with his wife, Preeti Choksi, after obtaining a residency card, according to a media report.

Indian authorities have since urged Belgium to initiate his extradition to India, as per the Associated Times, a Caribbean-focused outlet.

However, Indian authorities have not yet confirmed the report.

Mehul Choksi’s wife, Preeti, is a Belgian citizen.

Mehul Choksi is currently residing in Antwerp, Belgium, with his wife, Preeti Choksi, after securing an ‘F Residency Card’ in the country, as reported by a media outlet.

According to the report, Choksi allegedly used fabricated and misleading documentation to obtain Belgian residency in an effort to avoid extradition to India.

Sources cited in the report claim that Choksi submitted “false declarations” and “forged documents” to Belgian authorities, while concealing his Indian and Antiguan citizenship during the application process.

The report also suggests that Choksi is planning to move to Switzerland for medical treatment at a renowned cancer hospital.

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are accused of siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore from the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) using fraudulent letters of undertaking.

Nirav Modi, currently incarcerated in a London jail, is contesting his extradition to India after facing repeated bail denials in court.

Choksi went missing from Antigua in May 2021 but was later traced and returned to the country.

In December 2024, a special court in Mumbai authorised the monetisation of properties valued at Rs 2,565.9 crore, which were seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) since 2018 as part of its money laundering investigation against fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi in the alleged Punjab National Bank fraud case.

The court’s ruling followed an application by the victim banks, Punjab National Bank and ICICI Bank, supported by the ED.

As a result, the transfer of assets has commenced, with properties worth over Rs 125 crore — including flats in Mumbai and two factories in SEEPZ, Andheri — being handed over to the liquidator of Choksi’s Gitanjali Gems Ltd.

Charges against Choksi include criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty including delivery of property, corruption, and money laundering.

In December 2024, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Parliament that properties worth more than Rs 22,000 crore had been restored or sold off to pay back debts of wanted individuals like Choksi.

–IANS

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