New Delhi: Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has called fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi an “Indian citizen” whose “rights will be respected” and said the court will decide on the matter related to his illegal entry into the country.
“The matter of this Indian citizen (Mehul Choksi) is before the court. The court will decide what happens to the gentleman,” Skerrit said in a press statement.
“We have no issues in so far as the matter relates to Antigua and or India, we are part of our own community and we must recognise our duties and responsibilities in this regard,” he added, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
Choksi mysteriously went missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen, but was detained in neighbouring Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend.
READ: Mehul Choksi Complaint: Fugitive Diamantaire Discloses Names Of Alleged Abductors, Probe Begins
The lawyers of the fugitive diamantaire, who is a key accused in the multi-crore scam in the Punjab National Bank (PNB), have, however, alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by some officials and brought to Dominica.
Meanwhile, Choksi, who is being treated at a hospital in Dominica after the court has adjourned the matter to June 14, has filed a complaint with the Antiguan Police and disclosed the names of his alleged abductors.
The Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda has, as per reports, started an investigation into the alleged abduction of the absconding diamantaire to neighbouring Dominica.