Antigua confirms Mehul Choksi given citizenship in November

NEW DELHI: Antiguan authorities have confirmed that Mehul Choksi, coaccused in the $2-billion Punjab National Bank fraud case, is in the Caribbean island and said the jeweller had obtained his Antiguan citizenship November last year, before the PNB scandal broke out.

“After extensive vetting, Mehul Choksi was granted citizenship by registration in November 2017,” Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of Antigua and Barbuda said in a statement on Wednesday, a day after reports emerged that he has moved to Antigua from the United States.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a case against Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi in the PNB scandal in February this year.


Both have fled the country.

“Choksi’s application was subject to robust due diligence international investigation, which is conducted on each principal applicant and dependent, by reputable agencies, including the International Criminal Police Organisation and the CARICOM Implementing Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS),” the CIU statement said. It said the 2017 investigation revealed no derogatory information about Choksi.

A CBI spokesperson, however, said the agency had received no query or verification request from international police agency Interpol about Choksi’s antecedents or any pending inquiry or case. CBI is the nodal agency of Interpol in India.

According to CIU, Choksi swore the oath of allegiance in Antigua, a requirement under the provisions of the citizenship by Investment Act, on January 15, 2018.

Antigua is among the many tax havens in the Caribbean.