Fugitive Indian jewelry expert Mehul Choksi, who has actually been implicated of participation in among India’s greatest bank scams, has actually been apprehended in Belgium, his legal representative stated Monday.
Choksi and his diamond magnate nephew Nirav Modi are implicated of a $1.8 billion scams including Punjab National Bank, the nation’s second-largest public lending institution. Both ran away India in 2018.
The arrest was made following an extradition demand by Indian authorities, regional media reported.
Choksi was apprehended on Saturday in the Belgian port city of Antwerp, among the most essential diamond trading centers on the planet. His legal representative, Vijay Aggarwal, informed press reporters that Choksi’s legal group would submit an appeal for his release.
Both Choksi and Modi have actually rejected the allegations.
Punjab National Bank implicated Choksi, Modi and others of scams by utilizing phony monetary files to get loans to purchase and import gems.
Aggarwal stated the “apparent” premises for the appeal would be that Choksi is “not a flight threat, is incredibly ill and going through treatment for cancer.” He likewise stated they would argue that Choksi’s was a “political” case and install their defense on premises that Indian jails have inhumane conditions.
Modi, who constructed a global fashion jewelry empire that extended from India to New York City and Hong Kong, was apprehended in Britain in 2019. He has actually remained in jail given that.