In a setback to the investigating agencies like CBI and ED probing the Rs 13,000 crore PNB credit fraud, the name of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi wanted in the case has been reportedly removed from the Interpol database of Red Corner Notices on the basis of his plea to the Lyon-headquartered agency.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the National Central Bureau (NCB) for Interpol in India, remained tight-lipped on the development.
The Red Corner Notice is the highest form of alert issued by the 195-member country-strong Interpol to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. The Interpol had issued the Red Notice against Choksi in 2018, nearly 10 months after he fled from India in January that year to take refuge in Antigua and Barbuda, where he had acquired citizenship.
Choksi had challenged the CBI application seeking issuance of Red Corner Notice against him, calling the case a result of political conspiracy. He had also raised questions on issues such as jail conditions in India, his personal safety and health, sources said.
The matter had gone to a five-member Interpol committee's court, called Commission for Control of Files, which had cleared the RCN (Red Corner Notice) rejecting his contentions, sources said.
The CBI has chargesheeted both Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi separately in scam. In its chargesheet, the CBI had alleged that Choksi swindled Rs 7,080.86 crore. Nirav Modi allegedly siphoned Rs 6,000 crore. The CBI is also probing a default of additional loan of over Rs 5,000 crore to Choksi's companies.
The PNB loan fraud case is one of the biggest such cases relating to the banking sector in India.