New Delhi: The Antwerp Court of Appeal in Belgium has ruled in favour of extraditing diamond trader Mehul Choksi. This marked a major development in India’s pursuit to bring him back to face trial in the Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. The court’s decision dismissed Choksi’s arguments of political persuasion and abduction.

The court observed that the offences attributed to Choksi are extraditable under both Indian and Belgian law. The charges include criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, and corruption under Sections 120-B, 409, 420, and 477-A of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Each of these carries a punishment exceeding one year. However, the court excluded the charge unde

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