NEW DELHI, Dec 9: Belgium’s Supreme Court, the Court of Cassation, on Tuesday rejected Mehul Choksi’s appeal against his extradition to India in connection with the alleged Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud.
Advocaat-generaal Henri Vanderlinden confirmed that the Court of Cassation upheld the Antwerp Court of Appeal’s earlier decision, which had deemed India’s extradition request “enforceable.”
The Antwerp Court of Appeals, through a four-member indictment chamber, found no issues in the pre-trial chamber’s November 29, 2024 orders.
These had validated arrest warrants issued by a Mumbai special court in May 2018 and June 2021, allowing Choksi’s extradition.
The court ruled that Choksi, the main accused in the PNB scam, faced “no risk” of being denied a fair trial or subjected to ill-treatment if sent to India.
Choksi, who fled to Antigua and Barbuda in January 2018 before the scam’s detection, was later located in Belgium, where he reportedly sought medical treatment.
India had submitted its extradition request to Belgium on August 27, 2024, based on the Mumbai court’s arrest warrants. (Agencies)
