Fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi, one of the accused in the Rs 13,400-crore Punjab National Bank scam, said he would reside in Anitigua and Barbuda where he was recently given citizenship. Choksi, in a statement released through his attorney David Dorsett, categorically denied the allegations against him by the media and said that his citizenship was a result of his business interests in the region.
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"I can state that I lawfully applied to be registered as a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda under the Citizenship by Investment Program. During the course of my application, I did all that was lawfully required of me to do... My application was motivated by my desire to expand my business interest in the Caribbean and to obtain visa free travel access to 130 or so countries," Mehul Choksi explained in the statement dated Thursday.
"That remains my reason for choosing to become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda."
Choksi had taken the citizenship of Antigua in November 2017, and oath of allegiance on January 15 this year, according to a local newspaper Antigua Observer.
He added that he was in the US in January for medical treatment, and is still recovering from health issues. Notably, Mehul Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi, the prime accused in the PNB scam, had fled India the same month. Choksi and Modi fled the country in January, nearly a fortnight before the scam was detected. The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in January this year, after which PNB officials reported it to the probe agencies.
He concluded his statement saying that he has decided to reside in Antigua and Barbuda, "the country of his citizenship" and "to abide by the laws of the country, as is the duty of every citizen".
Meanwhile, the Antigua government has indicated that it may consider "a legitimate request" from India to send back Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.