Belgium Court Clears Mehul Choksi Extradition

Belgium's highest court, the Court of Cassation, has dismissed the final appeal by fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi against his extradition to India. This decision upholds earlier rulings by the Antwerp Court of Appeal and the Antwerp District Court, which found India's extradition request enforceable and rejected Choksi's claims of risk of torture, unfair trial, or forced abduction in India. Choksi, accused of siphoning off approximately Rs 6,400 crore in the Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, had fled India in January 2018 and was later spotted and arrested in Belgium in April 2025. India, through agencies like the United States — Federal Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India — Enforcement Directorate (ED), and India — Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), had provided detailed assurances regarding his treatment and medical care in Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail. The Belgian court also dismissed Choksi's arguments regarding an alleged kidnapping from Antigua and Barbuda and the withdrawal of an International — Interpol Red Notice, concluding that the charges against him are extraditable offenses under both Indian and Belgian law. This ruling clears all major judicial obstacles, paving the way for the formal extradition process to begin.