A Belgian court on Friday (18th October) approved the arrest of fugitive Indian diamantaire Mehul Choksi, clearing the way for his extradition to India. The court in Antwerp ruled that the arrest of Choksi by the Belgian Police, in response to India’s request, was valid. Choksi, who is the uncle of another high-profile Indian fugitive, Nirav Modi, who is in a UK jail, has 15 days to appeal against the court ruling.
Choksi was arrested by the Antwerp police on 11th April, 2025. He has been lodged in jail for about six months. His bail pleas were rejected in August this year by Belgian courts after Indian law enforcement agencies apprised them that Choksi was a habitual offender and was likely to flee to another country if let out.
The CBI reportedly travelled to Belgium three times to furnish evidence against Choksi and even hired a European private law firm for legal assistance. The central agency provided the Belgian courts with the details of Choksi’s involvement in economic offences in India and two open warrants against him. The agency also informed the courts that he escaped from the US and Antigua in the past.
The 66-year-old fugitive is facing charges of fraud, conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and corruption under Sections 120B, 201, 409, 420, and 477A of the IPC, along with Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The offences Choksi is accused of committing are also punishable under Belgian laws, which fulfils the condition of dual criminality.
India has been seeking the extradition of Choksi, citing several international conventions such as the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC)and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), so that he can be tried in India as per the law. India informed the Belgian authorities that after extradition, Choksi would be lodged in Barrack No. 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, with facilities meeting European standards, including clean water, food, newspapers, TV, and access to a private doctor.
“The Centre, on the basis of a report from the Maharashtra government, assures that Choksi will be held at Barrack No. 12, Arthur Road jail complex. It is also assured that he will be kept in a cell in which he will get a minimum of three square meters of personal space (not including furniture) throughout the period of his prospective detention (pre-trial and post-conviction) in case he is found guilty,” Rakesh Kumar Pandey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs said in his letter sent Belgian authorities on 4th September.
Pandey assured that Choksi would not be placed in solitary confinement and that Choksi would be provided high-level security in the cell, along with amenities, including a clean, thick cotton mat, pillow, bed sheet, and blanket. He guaranteed that Choksi’s cell would be cleaned daily and would have a regular supply of fresh drinking water, along with access to outdoor exercises, rest areas, board games such as chess and carrom, and badminton.
The Indian government has been opposing Choksi’s claim of being an Antiguian citizen by asserting that he is an Indian citizen. Choksi had claimed that he renounced Indian citizenship on December 14, 2025, after acquiring Antiguian citizenship on November 16, 2017.
Choksi is wanted in bank frauds of over ₹13,000 crore, which he committed between 2011 and 2017, before fleeing India in January 2018. He was located by the CBI in Belgium in July 2024, after which it submitted an extradition request.
