Eleven months after fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi went missing from Antigua and Barbuda and mysteriously surfaced in Dominica, the latter has withdrawn the “illegal entry” proceedings against the diamantaire on the basis of Antigua Royal police’s investigation report that hints that it was a case of abduction.
At least two people familiar with the developments confirmed to HT the developments in Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda.
The decision to withdraw the proceedings was conveyed by Dominica’s director of public prosecutions, Sherma Dalryple, to the magistrate court in Roseau.
After he went missing on May 23, 2021 from Antigua, where he is a citizen, and was found in Dominica the next day, Choksi and his legal team alleged he was abducted by Indian agents, tortured, and brought to Dominica in a vessel. He named a Hungarian woman Barbara Jarabik and two British citizens- Gurmit Singh and Gurjit Singh Bhandal – among 7-8 people who abducted and took him to Dominica. All three denied the allegations.
The Indian government flew in a team of investigators to Dominica on May 28 in the hopes of securing his deportation from the island, where he was not a citizen, but Choksi filed a habeas corpus in Dominica high court alleging abduction and torture.
The prosecutors appearing for India filed an official request in Dominica in the first week of June, 2021, alleging that Choksi was the mastermind of a ₹13,578 crore loan fraud and owed ₹7,080 crore ($952 million). It sought to declare him an Indian citizen and deport him to India.
{{/usCountry}}The prosecutors appearing for India filed an official request in Dominica in the first week of June, 2021, alleging that Choksi was the mastermind of a ₹13,578 crore loan fraud and owed ₹7,080 crore ($952 million). It sought to declare him an Indian citizen and deport him to India.
{{/usCountry}}After staying in Dominica for 52 days amid highly charged legal proceedings, high court of justice of Dominica sent him back to Antigua.
His capture caused a political storm in the Caribbean with opposition parties accusing governments of Dominica and Antigua & Barbuda of colluding with India to allegedly abduct the businessman.
Antigua Royal police launched an abduction probe in the matter based on Choksi’s lawyers’ complaint, which a person familiar with the developments said, was recently completed.
A 19-page investigation report, which was completed last year itself, was recently filed in the Dominica court, a copy of which was also sent to the both the Caribbean island’s governments, on the basis of which Dominican prosecutors decided to withdraw the illegal entry case.
The contents of Antigua Royal report were confirmed to HT by at least two persons.
It mirrors allegations of Choksi and seeks to trace five suspects who were behind it, according to one of the persons, who added that the report also recommends seeking Interpol’s help in identifying the suspects. The report cites hotel, villa bookings, car rentals by the suspects and CCTV footages to back its claim.
After his return to Dominica, Choksi had said he was “seriously considering” to return to India to prove his innocence until his abduction but now he was “extremely apprehensive about his safety in India”.
“I am back home but this torture has left permanent scars on my psychology and physically, rather permanent scars on my soul. I could never imagine that after closing down all my business and seizing all my properties, a kidnapping attempt would be made on me by the Indian agencies. I was always hearing about it but I never believed that they could go to this extent,” Choksi told HT in an audio message in July 2021.
Choksi’s lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said on Friday: “Three things can’t be long hidden, the sun, the moon and the truth. Now it should shut the mouth of those people who said that this kidnapping and injuries are fake and is a legal strategy. Their silence now is music to my ears.”