By Shermain Bique-Charles
The Supreme Court in India has reinstated a 2015 case against Antigua-based businessman Mehul Choksi and his wife Priti related to cheating and forgery in the state of Gujarat.
The move overturns a 2017 order by the Gujarat High Court that had quashed a ‘first information report’ (FIR) against the couple. In India, an FIR is a written document prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a cognisable offence – one for which the police can take immediate action without a warrant.
According to reports from India, the Supreme Court clarified that the investigation should proceed independently without being influenced by any previous judgments.
Choksi – an Antiguan citizen since 2017 and owner of Indian retail jewellery giant Gitanjali Group – has been facing extradition over the alleged fraud of the Punjab National Bank. He has also been accused of participating in stock market manipulation in his native land.
The 64-year-old is wanted by Indian authorities for criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption, among other things. He has denied all charges against him and claimed they are false, baseless, and politically motivated.
Choksi went missing from Antigua in May 2021, later claiming he had been kidnapped from Jolly Harbour by agents for the Indian government, while others allege that he fled the country.
After being arrested in Dominica for illegal entry, he was found and returned to Antigua and Barbuda on interim bail for medical treatment.
The Dominican government dropped the charge of illegal entry in May 2022, and investigations into his disappearance are still ongoing.