Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s extradition to India has been temporarily suspended after he challenged the October 17 order of the Antwerp Court of Appeals before the Supreme Court of Belgium, officials confirmed on Monday.
According to Belgian authorities, Choksi, who is wanted in the ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, filed his appeal before the Court of Cassation — Belgium’s highest court — on October 30.
“This appeal is strictly limited to legal merits and will be judged by the Court of Cassation. During this procedure, the execution of the extradition is suspended,” said Ken Witpas, public prosecutor at the Antwerp Court of Appeal, in a statement to PTI.
What was the Antwerp Court’s ruling?
On October 17, the Antwerp Court of Appeals had termed the arrest warrants issued by a Mumbai special court in May 2018 and June 2021 as “enforceable”, effectively allowing India’s extradition request.
The court had ruled that Choksi faces no risk of being denied a fair trial or subjected to ill-treatment upon his return to India. This decision marked a significant breakthrough for Indian authorities, who have been pursuing Choksi since the ₹13,000 crore scam surfaced in 2018.
Choksi has been residing in Belgium since 2023 after previously holding citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda.
Inside the ₹13,000 crore PNB fraud case
The Punjab National Bank fraud case, one of India’s largest banking scandals, came to light in February 2018. Choksi, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, allegedly conspired with bank officials to obtain Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Foreign Letters of Credit (FLCs) without proper authorisation or collateral.
These were used to raise funds from overseas banks, leading to massive losses for PNB. The scam’s total estimated value stands at ₹13,850 crore, with Choksi’s share accounting for about ₹6,097.63 crore.
Nirav Modi was arrested in London in 2019 and remains in custody as his extradition proceedings continue in the United Kingdom.
Charges against Mehul Choksi
In India, Choksi faces charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including criminal conspiracy, cheating, and falsification of accounts, along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Belgian authorities have acknowledged that these offences are also punishable under their domestic laws, which enabled India’s request for extradition to be legally viable.
What happens next?
With Choksi’s latest appeal, the extradition proceedings are now paused until the Belgian Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) delivers its verdict. This court will only review legal aspects of the case — not factual evidence — to determine whether procedural or legal errors were made in the lower court’s order.
If the appeal is dismissed, Choksi’s extradition to India could resume immediately.
According to reports by Hindustan Times, the Indian government has assured Belgium that Choksi will be held at Barrack No. 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, which complies with the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) standards.