Mehul Choksi is accused in the Rs 13,500-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case.Mehul Choksi, the fugitive jeweller wanted in India for allegedly swindling ₹ 13,500 crore from Punjab National Bank, has been denied bail by the high court in Dominica on the grounds that he is a flight risk, news agency ANI reported on Saturday citing local media.The Judge highlighted that Mehul Choksi has no ties to Dominica and the court cannot impose any conditions that will assure it that he wouldn’t abscond, the Antigua Newsroom reported.The court verdict comes a few days after Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit termed Choksi as an “Indian citizen” and stated that the courts will decide what happens to the fugitive. He added that the government will protect the rights of Choksi as he awaits trial.”The matter with this Indian citizen is before the courts, the courts will decide what happens to this gentleman and we allow the court process to go through,” Loop Jamaica News quoted that Dominica PM as saying.Mehul Choksi was caught when he was allegedly trying to escape to Cuba from Antigua, where he had been living since 2018 after leaving India. He reportedly left Antigua and took a boat to neighbouring Dominica. With an Interpol lookout circular against him, he was caught by the police from a beach in Dominica.The diamond jeweler, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, is wanted by Indian investigating agencies for allegedly swindling ₹ 13,500 crore as loans from state-run Punjab National Bank using fake documents. Nirav Modi, jailed in London, is contesting his extradition to India.
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