Indian fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, wanted for his alleged role in a $1.6 billion banking fraud, is reportedly living in Antwerp, Belgium, after securing residency under questionable circumstances, according to a recent media report.
Choksi, 64, who was previously thought to be living in Antigua and Barbuda, was “found to have obtained an ‘F Residency Card’ in Belgium by misrepresenting facts and making false declarations,” it was said. The report reports that he had not described his Indian and Antiguan citizenship under the application process.
Indian authorities have officially asked Belgian authorities to initiate extradition proceedings against Choksi but there has been no official word or response from either government. 
Choksi is alleged to have facilitated what is believed to be one of india’s most significant financial scams—stealing around $1.6bn from the state-owned Punjab National Bank through fictitious letters of undertaking along with his nephew Nirav Modi. While Modi remains in a UK prison fighting extradition to India, Choksi’s decision to go to Belgium makes it even more difficult for efforts to get him to face justice.
The report further also says that Choksi is planning to immigrate to Switzerland on the plea of getting medical treatment at major cancer hospital.
His wife, Preeti Choksi a Belgian citizen is believed to be helping him with keeping residence. The news raises new worries about how fugitives running personal finance-crime from the most serious evasion to continue international justice despite stepped-up diplomatic pressure.
