Mumbai Passport office gave Police Clearance Certificate to Choksi: MEA

Mumbai (Maharashtra), Aug 3 (ANI): The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that it was the passport office in Mumbai which had given a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) to fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi on the basis of a clear Police Verification Report (PVR) available on his passport.

Issuing a statement, the official spokesperson of MEA said, "We have seen media reports on the issue. Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) was issued to Mehul Choksi by Passport Office, Mumbai, for Antigua and Barbuda on March 16, 2017. The PCC was issued on the basis of a clear Police Verification Report (PVR) available on his passport."

This comes after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) brushed off reports that it had given a positive report to Mehul Choksi, based on which he got an Antiguan citizenship.

The SEBI in its clarification earlier today stated, "SEBI has neither received any request from the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of Antigua for updates on any investigation nor provided any such information to CIU."

The MEA in its statement has further claimed, "All Passport Issuing Authorities can issue a PCC if there is a clear Police Verification Report (PVR) in the system. In case there is no PVR, then a fresh PVR is obtained prior to issuance of a PCC."

According to sources, the MEA has received the extradition request from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and is currently in the process of conveying it to the authorities in Antigua and Barbuda. (ANI)

Mehul Choksi who is allegedly involved in over USD 2 billion scam in the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) has reportedly taken refuge in the Caribbean nation after moving there in July. His valid passport was revoked in February after this scam was unearthed. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI