Belgium’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, 9th December, refused Mehul Choksi’s appeal against the order that allows his extradition to India. This is a major setback for Choksi, the fugitive diamond trader.
Belgium’s Supreme Court has dismissed Mehul Choksi’s appeal, clearing the way for his extradition to India in the ₹13,000-crore PNB fraud case. The ruling upholds earlier orders and validates India’s assurances on fair trial and treatment.
— businessline (@businessline) December 10, 2025
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Choksi had taken his case to the Court of Cassation in October after the Antwerp Court of Appeal ruled on 17th October that India’s request for his extradition could proceed. The appeal court had called the order “enforceable,” moving the extradition process closer to completion.
Choksi was arrested by Belgian police in April in Antwerp following a request from India. He has been in prison there since then. Recently, his request for bail was also denied because officials believe he might run away if released.
India wanted Choksi in connection with the huge Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. He has been fighting efforts to send him back to India since 2018. Alongside his nephew Nirav Modi, Choksi is accused of stealing over Rs 13,000 crore from the bank. This money was taken by misusing Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Foreign Letters of Credit (FLCs). The scam involved bribing bank officials at the Brady House branch in Mumbai.
While battling extradition in Belgium, Choksi also tried to stop being declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in India. Through his lawyers Vijay Aggarwal, Rahul Agarwal, and Jasmine Purani, he filed an application in a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to dismiss the Enforcement Directorate’s move to declare him an FEO. But last month, this application was rejected by the special court in Mumbai.
Nirav Modi, Choksi’s nephew and another main accused in the scam, is currently in jail in London. Like Choksi, he is trying legally to avoid being sent back to India.
Both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are probing the case, which remains one of the biggest financial scandals involving theft from a public bank in India.
