NEW DELHI: Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has invited the Indian authorities to interview him and claimed that he left India only to seek medical treatment.
“I am a law-abiding citizen,” he has declared.
“I have extended an invitation to Indian authorities to interview me and ask any questions that they may have of me in relation to any investigation that they are conducting against me,” the 62-year absconding Indian jeweller has said in an affidavit filed before the Dominica High Court.
“I did not evade law enforcement in India.
There was no warrant against me by the law enforcement authorities in India when I left India to seek medical treatment in the United States of America,” said Choksi.
TOI is in possession of the eight-page signed submission.
Read AlsoMehul Choksi fit to be deported to India, onus lies on Dominican court: Ex-CBI director AP SinghFugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi being held in police custody in Dominica, is fit to be deported to India, according to former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director AP Singh, who said the businessman held no legal rights in the EastCaribbean Island nation to which he had attempted toChoksi fled India in January 2018, just days before his name was to surface in the Rs 13.500 crore PNB scam, and settled in Antigua.
He has not returned to the country since, as he faces investigation by CBI, ED and other Indian agencies on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty, corruption and money laundering.
Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi behind the bars in Dominica.
(ANI photo)In the deposition, filed on June 3, he also declared that he has no intention of absconding and claimed that the Red Corner Interpol notice is not an international warrant and merely a request to facilitate surrender.
Read AlsoLady who ‘invited’ Mehul Choksi rented home near us in 2020 in Antigua: WifeAs a Caribbean court ordered Choksi to face charges of illegally entering Dominica from Antigua, Priti made a sensational claim on Thursday.
She told TOI: “This woman, Barbara, laid a trap to bring him back to India.
She entered our lives in August 2020 after she rented an accommodation opposite ourThis was in reply to the prosecution charge of him being a flight risk and that he is engaged in extradition proceedings in Antigua connected to alleged crimes committed by him in India.
“I have no intention of absconding from attending court in Dominica… The presence of the Red Notice does not make me a flight risk.
The Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant.
It is merely a request by Interpol on behalf of India to locate and take steps to facilitate my surrender to India through extradition proceedings.
The proceedings have already commenced in Antigua and Barbuda.
Therefore, I do not intend to leave Dominica unless to travel to Antigua with the permission of the court,” Choksi said, appending a document to the affidavit, explaining the purpose of the Red Corner notice from the Interpol website.
Read Also’Was told not to talk about Barbara’: Mehul Choksi’s ‘abduction’ plot thickensMUMBAI: Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi’s story has been told extensively ever since he was captured in Dominica.
However, there is a lot left untold.
Several mysteries still remain – about the woman he was spotted with, his lavish lifestyle in the island nation, and the alleged abduction plot.“There are two pending cases (both filed by me) before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in Antigua and Barbuda to determine whether I should be extradited to India.
I have diligently attended every one of my court sessions in Antigua… I am a law-abiding citizen and have no previous convictions,” Choksi said attaching a copy of his citizenship, which he obtained in 2013.
In the affidavit, the wanted fugitive diamantaire also gave a blow-by-blow account of his alleged abduction on May 23 and alleged the role of government authorities in Dominica in it.
He also claimed that his health problems will worsen if he is denied bail.
“I fear that my health may drastically decline if I am kept in police custody.
I am 62 years old and have serious health problems.
I am a diabetic, have a brain clot, have heart problems and other medical issues,” he said seeking bail.
Choksi faces charges of illegal entry into Dominica but says he will not flee the country till the case is disposed of.
“If required I am willing to provide cash bail in a reasonable sum…
I am able to afford living accommodation in Dominica until the hearing and determination of this charge of illegal entry.
I am also able to afford my own security and so do not need any security from the State,” he has submitted.