Diamantaire Mehul Choski, involved in a Rs 14,000 crore banking scam in India, on Friday confirmed through a legal response that he is in Antigua. Among latest developments in the case, the Antiguan president has promised assistance in the matter but presently there is no extradition treaty between the two countries.  

A response from his lawyer said: “I can state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua & Barbuda, under the Citizenship by Investment Programmes,” he said and was highlighted by Times Now in an earlier report. Choksi response has triggered a series of political reactions. Despite Choksi claims, however, an Indian Express report in the morning suggested that the fugitive diamantaire is on the run again. While the veracity of the report cannot be independently confirmed, the fact that Choksi is now a lawful citizen may prove to be a concern for India.  

The Antiguan Leader of Opposition has asked the government to send Choksi back to India as it is “damaging the country’s reputation" and even questioned Prime Minister Gaston Browne. Meanwhile, Choksi also suggested that his desire to get citizenship in Antigua was to “expand” his business interest in the Caribbean apart from obtaining a visa-free pass to access a total of 130 countries. It may be noted that the statement was shared by Choksi’s lawyer a day after reports emerged that he was in Antigua. 

Worth mentioning here that the diamantaire uncle of Nirav Modi was granted citizenship of Antigua in November, following which he left in the first week of January; a few days later, the major scam orchestrated by him and nephew Mehul Choski came to light. The Rs 14,000 crore scam has had an adverse effect not only on Punjab National Bank (PNB) but also left other banks in fear while some small-scale lenders were wiped out of business due to lack of funding from banking institutions in the country. 

Antigua, a sweet spot? 

Those who are still wondering how Mehul Choksi secured an Antigua citizenship are in for a bigger surprise. Turns out, at least 28 other Indians may have bought an Antigua citizenship since 2014, according to data analysed by TOI. The report suggested that seven people have already been granted citizenship to the country between January 1 and June 30, 2017. All they required to do was invest $2,00,000, said the report, citing a half-yearly of Citizenship by Investment Unit (CUI) that falls under the country's Ministry of Finance department. 

Worth mentioning that Antigua allows dual citizenship to any foreign citizen provided the individual invests in the country's National Development Fund (NDF). The individual could also purchase government-approved real estate or even investing in a pre-approved business. After six months of analysis, TOI finally found out that 2.50% of citizenships out of a total of 1,121 foreign nationals have secured a citizenship since the programme was first introduced. 

While Chinese individuals who have an Antigua citizenship were the most, there are Bangladeshi (42), Pakistani (25) and Indian nationals (28) as well. The passport is lucrative as it provides visa-free access to over 130 countries and even freedom from extradition. This is a yet another reason to worry about the Indian government. Although the Antiguan government has promised to assist in the case, an early climax seems unlikely in this case.