New Delhi: In a major setback for fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, Belgium’s top court has rejected his appeal against the arrest, based on India’s extradition request. Belgium’s top court Belgian Court of Cassation, heard his plea on Tuesday and ruled in New Delhi’s favour.

According to officials, the top court of Belgium upheld the decision of an Antwerp court, which earlier rejected the diamantaire’s appeal against the arrest on October 17. Choksi had contended that he might be tortured if sent to India, Hindustan Times reported. Officials believe that Belgium's top court’s decision 9is a major success for India and Choksi might be extradited to India soon.

Mehul Choksi was arrested in April

He was arrested on April 11 in Belgium at India’s request and is currently being held in a prison in Antwerp. He has been accused by six banks in India of fraud between 2018 and 2022 involving amounts totalling around Rs 13,000 crore.

During the hearing on the October 17 ruling, the Antwerp court dismissed Choksi’s challenge to his arrest. The court observed that Choksi was neither the subject of a "political trial” nor was he at risk of torture or denial of justice in India. The court also dismissed Choksi’s argument that he was abducted in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2021.

In its October said that two arrest warrants issued by Indian courts -- on May 23, 2018, as well as June 15, 2021, on the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), were "enforceable” on the charges related to criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, fraud, and embezzlement.

Choksi, Nirav Modi prime accused in Rs 13,000 crore scam

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are the prime accused in the multi-crore scam, which is being probed by both the CBI as well as the ED. The uncle-nephew duo has been accused of siphoning off more Rs 13,000 crore from the PNB using LoUs and foreign letters of credit (FLCs) by bribing the bank’s officials.