Belgian Court Clears Way for Mehul Choksi’s Extradition to India

A Belgian appeals court has approved the extradition of fugitive diamond trader and Antigua and Barbuda citizen Mehul Choksi to India, in a major development in the ₹13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.

The ruling, handed down on October 17, 2025, by the Court of Appeals in Antwerp, upheld the legality of India’s request and validated Choksi’s arrest and continued detention. The 65-year-old businessman, who was arrested in Belgium in April this year, remains in custody after repeated bail applications were rejected on grounds that he poses a significant flight risk.

Choksi now has 15 days to appeal the ruling before Belgium’s Supreme Court.

Belgian prosecutors confirmed that India’s extradition request met all legal standards, including the principle of dual criminality, which ensures that the offences are punishable under both Belgian and Indian law. The court reviewed extensive documentation and evidence presented by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Ministry of Home Affairs, outlining Choksi’s alleged role in a massive bank fraud, conspiracy, and corruption scheme.

Choksi’s defense team argued that he should not be extradited because he had renounced his Indian citizenship after becoming a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda. However, Indian authorities produced records asserting that Choksi remains legally accountable under Indian law, disputing his claim of citizenship renunciation.

Choksi, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, is accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of over ₹13,000 crore (approximately US$950 million) through a series of fraudulent Letters of Undertaking and credit guarantees issued in 2017.

Investigators allege that Choksi personally diverted more than ₹6,400 crore and used a web of companies and international banking links in Mauritius, Hong Kong, Antwerp, and Frankfurt to carry out the fraud.

After the scam was uncovered in early 2018, Choksi fled India, settling first in the United States and later in Antigua and Barbuda, where he obtained citizenship under the country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme. He moved to Belgium in 2023, where he was arrested two years later.

As part of the extradition proceedings, Indian officials submitted detailed guarantees regarding Choksi’s treatment once returned to India. They assured Belgian authorities that he would be held at Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail under conditions that meet international human rights standards, including adequate medical care, proper diet, humane living conditions, and no solitary confinement.

Indian authorities have welcomed the court’s ruling, describing it as a major diplomatic and legal success. The CBI said the decision demonstrates the “strength of international cooperation in the pursuit of justice.”

The verdict also underscores the Indian government’s ongoing efforts to bring back economic offenders who have fled the country to evade prosecution.

Choksi’s lawyers are expected to file an appeal in Belgium’s Supreme Court, which could delay his return. However, legal experts believe the Antwerp ruling represents a significant step forward in India’s efforts to hold him accountable.

If the appeal is dismissed, Mehul Choksi could be extradited to India within months, ending years of legal wrangling and marking a major victory in one of the country’s largest-ever financial fraud cases.