The multi-agency team tasked with bringing back the fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi from Dominica will return to Delhi without him at 11 pm as the Dominican High Court adjourned his habeas corpus petition to July and extended its order on removing him from that country.

The eight-member team including Enforcement Directorate officials and the head of the CBI’s Bank Securities and Frauds (Mumbai) division – had been sent to assist public prosecutors in Dominica.

The team had reportedly argued that Choksi should be repatriated to India on grounds that he remains a citizen of this country. Sources had said: Choksi is not a citizen of Dominica, so he cannot claim any fundamental rights on the island.

However, Choksi’s lawyer has said Dominica cannot send his client back to India since he is now a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda.

A Dominica Court on Thursday had rejected the bail application of fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi for illegally entering the island nation from Antigua. Choksi had gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda after which the local police had launched a manhunt to trace him. India’s most wanted fugitive in connection with the Punjab National Bank loan fraud case was captured from Dominica while trying to flee to Cuba from Antigua.

Choksi had submitted that he was allegedly kidnapped into the Island. He, however pleaded not guilty for the alleged crimes before the court.

Various non-nationals in Dominica are on bail for similar matters, so we are of the view that bail can be granted to our client. Let stringent conditions be added to the bail condition including a bail sum of $ 10,000 double the maximum penalty for illegal entry, Choksi’s lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal had argued in court.

The Dominica government contended that bail should not be granted to Choksi, who is wanted in India in an alleged ₹ 13,500 crore loan fraud case, as he is a flight risk.

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Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted in India for allegedly siphoning off  Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank, using fake guarantees to secure overseas loans.

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