Mehul Choksi in Cuba a real possibility? Antigua & Barbuda Police seek Interpol's help

In an important move to trace fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi, the Antigua and Barbuda Police has filed a missing person notice with Interpol so that a Yellow Notice can be circulated. A Yellow Notice is a global police alert for a missing person which is published for victims of parental abductions, kidnappings, or unexplained disappearances. This assumes significance as Caribbean news outlet Associate Times claimed that Choksi fled to Cuba owing to the fear of being extradited to India, a claim denied by his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal.

The PNB scam accused purportedly went "missing" after going out for dinner in Antigua island on May 23 and could not be traced even though his vehicle was traced in the Jolly Harbour later. As per the latest statement issued by the police of the island nation, it weighed in on the increased search efforts. The police once again appealed to anyone knowing the whereabouts of Choksi to contact the Johnson Point Police Station or the Criminal Investigations Department.

"Several close relatives and associates of Choksi were interviewed to gather as much information as possible as to his sudden disappearance. As an added component to the ongoing investigations, the Police Administration has reached out to both local and regional law enforcement counterparts for assistance on this matter. Additionally, the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB) has filed a missing person notice with The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) for a Yellow Notice to be circulated," the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda said in a statement. 

India pushes for Mehul Choksi's extradition

Mehul Choksi is under the scanner of both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. Along with his nephew Nirav Modi, he has been accused of allegedly siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the Punjab National Bank (PNB), using letters of undertaking. Owner of the Gitanjali group, a retail jewellery company, Choksi secured the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017 under the aegis of the Citizenship by Investment Programme and fled to the island nation in the first week of January 2018.

India formally sought Choksi's extradition in August 2018 underlining the principle of reciprocity, the principle of dual criminality, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption to which both countries are signatories. In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda PM Gaston Browne was quoted as saying that the citizenship of Mehul Choksi will be revoked and will be extradited to India once all his legal options are exhausted. The current legal status of the fugitive diamantaire is shrouded in mystery as Aggarwal has stressed that the PNB scam accused remains a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda. 

Speaking to Republic TV on Tuesday, Antigua & Barbuda PM Gaston Browne remarked, "This is very unfortunate. He (Mehul Choksi) has created some reputational damage. Apart from Choksi, the bilateral issue is going good with India on multiple fronts."