Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has confirmed that a private jet from India has arrived at the Douglas-Charles Airport in Dominica as India-born fugitive Mehul Choksi continues to be held in custody of Dominica Police, local Antigua media reported on Sunday.
“Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft of Qatar Executive landed at the Douglas Charles Airport in Dominica; its arrival has raised questions about who it brought to Dominica and who will be leaving Dominica onboard,” Antigua Newsroom tweeted. It also posted a picture of the jet, which landed at the Dominican airport on Saturday.
“Yes I can confirm that is the jet there. My understanding is that Indian government has sent certain documents from courts in India to confirm that he is indeed a fugitive and my understanding is that the documents will be utilised in the court case,” Browne told an FM radio channel as reported by the Antigua Newsroom.
“As you know the judge in Dominica has put a stay on deportation till Wednesday. So Indian government seems to be going all out to make sure he is repatriated to India to stand trial,” Browne said.
On Saturday, the first pictures of India-born fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi surfaced showing him sustaining several injuries.
The pictures, supplied by the AntiguaNewsRoom, is showing him sustaining several injuries on his hands and the left eye which appeared bruised and swollen. Posting the picture, the AniguaNewsRoom tweeted, “First pictures emerge of Mehul Choksi behind bars.”
Photos of fugitive diamantaire #MehulChoksi in police custody in #Dominica
(photos – Antigua News Room)
– ANI pic.twitter.com/jw4FrmMR9O
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) May 30, 2021
Meanwhile, Antigua PM also said, “We respect the jurisdiction of the court over this matter. My request on behalf of the state, for Dominica to consider deporting Choksi directly to India, as a form of state cooperation to apprehend a fugitive, is perfectly acceptable.”
“If he is deported to Antigua, he will continue to enjoy the legal and constitutional protections of citizenship,” he added.
If he is deported to Antigua, he will continue to enjoy the legal and constitutional protections of citizenship: Antigua PM Gaston Browne
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2021
In an interview with ANI on May 28, Choksi’s Dominica-based lawyer Wayne Marsh had said that my client was abducted from Antigua on Sunday (May 23) and beaten up.
“I noticed that he was severely beaten, his eyes were swollen and had several burnt marks on his body (apparently burnt by some electronic device). He reported to me that he was abducted at Jolly Harbour in Antigua and brought to Dominica by persons whom he believed to be Indian and Antiguan police on a vessel he described to be about 60-70 feet in length,” Marsh told ANI
Earlier, after taking note of submissions made in the Choksi’s habeas corpus petition, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court restrained Dominican authorities from removing the fugitive diamantaire from the Commonwealth of Dominica until a further hearing in the matter which is scheduled on June 2.
Also, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, superior court for eastern Caribbean states including Commonwealth of Dominica, on Friday put a stay on his repatriation from Dominica.
A massive manhunt was launched after Choksi went missing and an Interpol Notice was issued by Antigua and Barbuda. He was traced and captured in Dominica on May 25.
Mehul Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted in India for allegedly siphoning off Rs 13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) using letters of undertaking.