Antigua’s Police Commissioner denies misconduct in case involving Indian fugitive

Antigua’s Commissioner of Police, Atlee Rodney, has “categorically” denied claims of any misconduct on the a part of a senior police officer surrounding the continued investigations involving Mehul Choksi, who is needed in India on fraud-related costs.

In July 2021, a Excessive Courtroom decide in Dominica granted the India-born Antigua and Barbuda citizen, EC$10,000 (one EC greenback=US$0.37 cents) bail to permit him to journey to St. John’s for medical therapy.

Choksi, 64, had pleaded not responsible to the cost of illegally getting into Dominica in late Might 2021 claiming he had been kidnapped in Antigua and brought to Roseau on Might 23.

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Choksi is needed by the Indian judicial authorities for legal conspiracy, legal breach of belief, dishonest and dishonesty, together with supply of property, corruption, and cash laundering.

The assertion by the commissioner of police denying the claims of misconduct within the investigations follows the publication of an article within the Economist Instances of India on January 13, written by an web blogger, Kenneth Rijock, through which sure allegations towards a senior member of the police drive and a Justice of the Peace had been made.

“It’s most unlucky that Mr. Kenneth Rijock, on his Web weblog, made a number of false statements, in regards to the Antigua and Barbuda Police Power in relation to Mr. Mehul Choksi with out ascertaining the information,” mentioned Rodney.

“Your complete weblog is fake with insufficient or no analysis of the information and has a malicious objective and ought to not have been posted.”

The police commissioner defined that upon the issuing of a Crimson Discover by INTERPOL, stating that Choksi is needed by the legislation enforcement authorities in India, and a request to the lawyer common for his extradition, an extradition order was issued in accordance with a Commonwealth Treaty, governing extradition of wished individuals.

Subsequently, Choksi challenged his extradition within the courts, and he has delayed extradition by that course of.

Rodney mentioned Antigua and Barbuda is a democratic nation through which the rule of legislation prevails beneath the Structure of the nation.

“Choksi has the fitting to hunt a listening to by the courtroom, and solely the courtroom can order his extradition by judicial course of.  His matter remains to be earlier than the courts, due to his authorized interventions”.

Within the article, Rijock states that the senior police officer, whom he named and Choksi, “have been assembly” at a restaurant, “alleging bribery.”

However the police commissioner’s assertion famous that “solely two engagements have been held between” Choksi and the senior police officer and that “each engagements occurred round August 2021 and June 2022 throughout an investigation, the place Mr. Choksi alleged he was kidnapped from Antigua and transported towards his will to Dominica.

In the meantime, the legal professionals representing Choksi, have written to the Registrar of the Excessive Courtroom, Mrs. Cecile Hill, distancing their shopper from the allegations made by Rijock in his newspaper article.

CMC/