Antigua’s PM Wants Indian Fugitive Arrested in Dominica Repatriated to India

An Indian national who is also a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda was on Tuesday arrested in Dominica. Mehul Choksi is alleged to have been involved in criminal conspiracy, money laundering, bribery and corruption, and fraud among others. He was declared wanted by the Indian police and had been living in Antigua where he became a citizen through the country’s citizenship by investment programme.

Choksi was last seen in his car on Sunday in Antigua, but a family member declared him missing when he could not be found later that day. The police launched a manhunt and contacted the Interpol and regional law enforcement agencies to locate the fugitive before news came that he was arrested by Dominican police authorities in Toucari.

Choski was said to have arrived Dominica through a boat from Antigua before his arrest early Tuesday morning. Given the alert circulated for his arrest, he was kept in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

While there are calls that he should be repatriated back to Antigua where he is a citizen and from where he fled, Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne tasked the Dominican government to return him to India instead of bringing him back to Antigua. Brown said returning the fugitive to Antigua will enable him to access certain constitutional protections as a citizen, and so he should rather be returned to his native country.

We asked them not to repatriate him to Antigua. He needs to return to India where he can face the criminal charges leveled against him.

Hon. Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua

Meanwhile, the Antiguan government reportedly tried to revoke Choksi’s citizenship in November 2017, but he challenged the attempt in court and he remains an Antiguan citizen yet.   

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