Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has rejected claims that his government was involved in the alleged abduction of fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, PTI reported on Thursday.
Choksi, 62, is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate in India in connection with the Rs 13,000-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case. He was held in Dominica on May 26 after he allegedly fled Antigua and Barbuda. Choksi had been living in Antigua since 2018 as a citizen after fleeing India before the bank fraud came to light.
Choksi’s lawyer in Antigua, Justin Simon, told reporters that investigators of Britain’s Metropolitan Police were looking into the possibility of the businessman’s alleged abductors being England residents. Simon warned of “international implications” if Dominica or Antigua were found to be involved in the matter, Dominica News Online reported.
However, the Dominican prime minister dismissed allegations that his government had conspired with India to kidnap Choksi from Antigua.
“To say that the government of Dominica colluded…Give me a break...That’s total nonsense,” he said in a weekly programme on Sunday evening. “We don’t get ourselves involved in those kinds of activities [or] those kinds of practices...Not at all. That is absurd.”
The case so far
Choksi had been reported missing by his family on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda. Since being held in neighbouring Dominica, he has been in judicial custody, charged with illegally entering the country.
In his complaint dated June 2, Choksi named a woman who he claims entrapped him. He also claimed “Indian men” – Narender Singh, Arminder Singh and Gurmit Singht – were behind the alleged kidnapping plan.
On June 11, the Dominica High Court denied bail to Choksi, saying he was a “flight risk”.
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