Mehul Choksi comes out in the open and denies allegations against him
NEW DELHI: Mehul Choksi in an elaborate defence for being wanted in a bank fraud of INR 13,000 crore, has come out in the open by speaking on the camera for the first time from Antigua, where he has been living amid efforts in India to bring him back. "All allegations against me are false and baseless," said the fugitive businessman.
"The Enforcement Directorate has attached my properties illegally without any basis," Mehul Choksi said, speaking to a source.
Mehul Choksi, who, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, who fled from india in the month of January, said there was "no question of surrendering his passport” as it had been revoked "without explanation as to why I am a security threat".
He said he was "immobilised" because his passport had been revoked. "On February 16, I received an email from the passport office which said that my passport has been suspended due to reasons of security threat to India. On February 20, I sent an email to the regional passport office, Mumbai, requesting them to revoke the suspension of my passport. However, I did not receive any reply from the regional passport office," he said.
The businessman was granted citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda last year and he took the oath of allegiance to that country on 15th of January.
Mehul Choksi and the celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi are being looked for by multiple investigating agencies after it was revealed that the two extracted crores in the form of loans from banks abroad on the basis of fake guarantees in the name of Punjab National Bank, India's second largest state-owned bank.
The Enforcement Directorate has sent a reminder to Interpol about its application seeking a red corner notice or global warrant against Mehul Choksi.
India's request was put on hold by the Interpol after a representation was done by Mehul Choksi during which he had alleged that the cases against him were resulted because of a political conspiracy. He had also raised questions about the jail conditions in India, his personal safety and health.