Reports on Tuesday, 1 June, said that fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi's elder brother Chetan ‘Chinubhai’ Choksi had met the Leader of Opposition of Dominica, Lennox Linton.
According to Associate Times, the two had agreed that in exchange for token money and promise of election donation, the Opposition leader will press Choksi's matter in the parliament.
The news outlet claimed that Chetan had landed in Dominica on 29 May on a private jet and met Linton in Marigot the next day.
However, reacting to the reports, Vijay Aggarwal, Mehul Choksi's lawyer told ANI that “people are lying through their teeth because his brother has arrived in Dominica only to see that Mehul Choksi is medically taken care of.”
Meanwhile, Choksi's hearing is underway at the High Court of Justice in Dominica on Wednesday, reported ANI.
WHAT DID THE REPORT CLAIM?
According to the report, the meeting between the two men lasted for two hours at Linton's home, where they discussed several aspects related to Choksi's arrest and “agreed on the commitment that in exchange for token money and promise of election donation, the opposition leader will press the matter in the parliament.”
According to IANS, the report further said that Choksi’s brother entered into an agreement with the Dominican opposition leader and promised him election funding for pushing the abduction theory.
The news outlet also claimed that Chetan disclosed during the conversation that Choksi had reached Dominica on his own, but they required the assistance of the opposition to tackle the matter in court and against the Dominica government to make them believe that he was abducted by Antiguan and Indian police.
A Dominica court has restrained the deportation of Choksi until further orders while hearing the habeas corpus filed by his lawyers. The court will next hear the matter on Wednesday.
WHAT HAS THE ANTIGUA PM SAID?
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Antigua PM Gaston Browne said that instead of subjecting himself to an inquiry as required by law, Choksi had used the courts to stay the revocation of his citizenship.
“Choksi changed his lawyer to a well-known member of the UPP who had promised him protection, for campaign funding. That's why they want that he shouldn't be deported to India, but back to Antigua where he could continue to hide behind constitutional protections,” PM Browne said.
Browne reiterated that the Antiguan administration stands by its request for Dominica to extradite Choksi directly back to India where he is still a citizen.
Meanwhile, Choksi’s wife Priti told ANI, “He is 63-years-old and he is an Antiguan citizen. He enjoys all the rights and protection that the Antigua and Barbuda constitution gives him. I have full faith in the rule of law and the justice system of the Caribbean nations. We await his safe and rightful return to Antigua at the earliest.”
WHAT IS THE CASE AGAINST CHOKSI?
Choksi, who is wanted in India in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case, went missing on 23 May from Antigua, sparking a massive manhunt. He was captured in Dominica on 27 May.
Choksi is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the PNB loan fraud case.
An eight-member team of the CBI, ED, MEA and CRPF has been camping in Dominica since Saturday. The team is there with the documents related to case of Choksi.
Earlier, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne and the prime opposition party in the island nation, UPP, had locked horns over the issue of deporting the fugitive diamantaire to India.
(With inputs from ANI and IANS.)
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