India Sunday formally handed over the extradition request for fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi to the Antiguan authorities, reported news agency ANI. Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted in the Rs 13,578-crore fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB). India had earlier requested authorities in Antigua and Barbuda to detain Choksi after it received information about his presence in the country. Meanwhile, Antigua officials said they couldn’t annul Choksi’s citizenship as that would violate their constitution. They claimed he got citizenship only after his credentials were “verified.” Read | Revoking Mehul Choksi citizenship: Antigua has reservations In a press statement, Antigua’s Citizenship by Investment Unit or CIU said Choksi’s application was received by the CIU in May 2017 with necessary documentary requirements, including a police clearance certificate, as required by Section 5 (2) (b) of the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Act 2013. “The said police clearance certificate from the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs Regional Passport Office, Mumbai, certified that there was no adverse information against Mr Mehul Chinubbhai Choksi which would render him ineligible for grant of travel facilities including visa for Antigua and Barbuda,” it said. However, they assured Indian officials that they might consider New Delhi’s extradition request once a Red Corner Notice (RCN) is issued against him. An RCN request made by the CBI on May 29 against him is pending before Interpol. Read | Ten months before he fled, Mehul Choksi got Mumbai passport office OK for Antigua On Saturday, the Mumbai Police said they gave a clearance certificate to Choksi last year as there was no criminal case registered against Choksi in Mumbai in 2017 — the PNB scam came to light in January 2018. Police also said they have ordered an inquiry "into the matter of issuance of police verification report (PVR)" to Choksi when he obtained the passport in Mumbai in 2015. Choksi applied for Antiguan citizenship in November 2017 and took the oath of citizenship on January 15, 2018 — he left India on January 7 — under the much-debated Citizenship Investment Program. Those holding Antigua and Barbuda passports enjoy visa-free travel to 132 countries, including the UK, Singapore and countries in the Schengen area.
