Belgium’s Court of Cassation has rejected Mehul Choksi’s request for bail, in a decision that could see the fugitive diamantaire remain behind bars for months as India pursues his extradition.
Choksi, who holdsAntiguan and Barbudan citizenship, was arrested in Antwerp on 11 April following a request from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He has been in custody for nearly three months.
A senior official told Hindustan Times the court found Choksi’s bail arguments unconvincing, and said a decision on extradition is unlikely before late September. Choksi’s lawyers declined to comment.
Indian authorities accuse Choksi of offences including criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and cheating, under laws mirrored in Belgium’s legal system.
The case also invokes provisions of the UN Conventions against Corruption and Transnational Organized Crime.
Choksi had cited ill-health in his bail plea and offered to wear a GPS tracker, but Belgian judges rejected the proposal over flight risk concerns.
Indian officials argued that Choksi has previously tried to evade extradition in both the U.S. and Antigua and Barbuda.
A CBI team recently travelled to Belgium to submit further evidence. Indian prosecutors are also working with a European law firm to assist in the ongoing legal process.