CBI seeks restoration of Red Notice against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi

The CBI has asked the Commission for Control of Interpol's Files (CCF) for the restoration of a Red Notice against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi who is wanted in Rs 13,000 crore bank fraud in Punjab National Bank, the agency said in a statement. Interpol opened a Red Notice against Choksi in 2018 on a request from the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

His appeals against the decision were rejected in 2020.

In 2022, nearly a year after his alleged abduction attempt, he approached the CCF, a separate body within Interpol that is not under the control of the Interpol Secretariat and is mainly staffed by elected lawyers from different countries "to revise its earlier decision of 2020", the agency said.

"...based on mere imaginary conjunctures and unproven surmises, a five-member CCF chamber, has taken a decision on the deletion of Red Notice, communicated in November 2022," the agency said.

It said the CCF has subsequently clarified to the CBI that its decision in no manner has any determination on any guilt or innocence of Mehul Chinubhai Choksi for crimes he remains charged with within India.

"CCF has reiterated that it has not established factual certainties and there is no factual finding in their decision that Mehul Chinubhai Choksi will not have a fair trial. Based on new information and serious errors in the decision, CBI is taking steps for the decision of CCF to be revised," it said.

The agency said the CBI has taken up with CCF the "serious shortcomings, procedural violations, overreach of mandate and mistakes committed by CCF" in the manner of reaching this unfounded and perfunctory decision.

"CBI continues to exercise available remedial and appellate options within Interpol for rectification of this faulty decision and for restoration of Red Notice," it said.

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