5 months ago
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In a setback to absconding diamond trader Mehul Choksi, a premier accused successful the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, a peculiar tribunal successful Mumbai connected Friday (November 28, 2025) rejected his exertion seeking to driblet the proceedings declaring him a fugitive economical offender (FEO).
Following his apprehension successful Belgium successful April this year, Mr. Choksi had moved the plea earlier the peculiar tribunal proceeding cases nether the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to disregard the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) exertion to state him an FEO.
Mr. Choksi had pleaded that since helium was presently successful custody for cases pending successful India, for which an extradition petition was made by the Indian authorities successful Belgium, the exertion filed by the ED to state him an FEO deserved to beryllium dismissed.
The ED had opposed his plea saying the 66-year-old did not privation to instrumentality to India arsenic helium was warring extradition proceedings initiated against him successful Belgium.
The probe bureau argued that the FEO proceedings terminate lone erstwhile an absconding accused appears. It said that determination were nary merits successful the exertion and it deserved to beryllium dismissed.
Also read: Extradition saga: nary reprieve for Mehul Choksi from Belgian court
Under the FEO Act, a idiosyncratic tin beryllium declared an FEO if a warrant has been issued against him for an offence involving an magnitude of ₹100 crore oregon much and helium has near the state and refuses to return. Once the accused is declared an FEO, the probe bureau tin confiscate his property.
On October 17, a Belgium tribunal upheld India’s petition for extradition of the diamond trader. He, however, challenged the bid successful the country’s Supreme Court.
Mr. Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are premier accused successful the multi-crore scam being probed by some the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED.
They are accused of allegedly siphoning disconnected implicit ₹13,000 crore of nationalist wealth from the PNB. While Mr. Choksi is facing the extradition proceedings, Mr. Modi is lodged successful a London jail.
