Mehul Choksi’s Extradition Temporarily Suspended

The extradition of Mehul Choksi, the Indian-born diamond tycoon who also holds Antiguan and Barbudan citizenship, has been temporarily suspended after he lodged an appeal before Belgium’s Supreme Court challenging an earlier order authorizing his return to India.

According to Ken Witpas, public prosecutor at the Court of Appeal in Antwerp, the “execution of the extradition is suspended” while the appeal proceeds before the Court of Cassation, Belgium’s highest judicial body. The appeal, he said, “is strictly limited to legal merits” and will determine whether due process was followed in approving the extradition request.

Choksi, the founder of the Gitanjali Group, is wanted by Indian authorities in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, estimated at ₹13,000 crore (approximately US $1.55 billion) — one of the largest banking scandals in India’s history.

On October 17, the Antwerp Court of Appeals ruled that two arrest warrants issued by an Indian court in 2018 and 2021 were “enforceable,” clearing the way for Choksi’s extradition. The judges found that he faced “no risk” of unfair trial or mistreatment if returned to India.

However, on October 30, Choksi appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, effectively pausing all extradition proceedings until the higher court delivers its judgment.

The massive PNB fraud came to light in February 2018, when Indian investigators accused Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi of conspiring with bank officials to fraudulently obtain Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit, which were then used to raise overseas credit. The alleged scheme caused a loss of ₹6,097 crore (roughly US $730 million) to the state-owned bank.

Choksi fled India in early 2018 and obtained citizenship from Antigua and Barbuda, where he initially resided before reportedly relocating to Belgium in 2023. His nephew, Nirav Modi, was arrested in London in 2019, where extradition proceedings are ongoing.

Should the Supreme Court uphold the extradition order, Choksi is expected to be detained at Barrack No. 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, a facility that the Indian government assured Belgian authorities meets European human rights standards under the Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

For now, the extradition remains on hold pending the Supreme Court’s review. If the appeal is dismissed, Choksi could face immediate transfer to India to stand trial for charges including criminal conspiracy, cheating, falsification of accounts, and violations of India’s Prevention of Corruption Act, all of which are recognized as criminal offenses under Belgian law as well.

The outcome of this appeal will determine whether the fugitive diamantaire, once celebrated in India’s luxury jewellery industry, will finally face justice after nearly seven years on the run.