NEW DELHI: A team from India has arrived in Dominica, ahead of a Caribbean court hearing that will decide on whether fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi will be deported to India. Lennox Linton, Leader of the Opposition in Dominica on Wednesday exclusively confirmed to ANI that a team of eight officials from India had landed in Dominica on Monday, May 31.
“Some officials from India arrived in Dominica via business jet on Friday of last week and yesterday some more officials arrived. They’ll be helping with the case in the court tomorrow,” said Linton.
Sources in the investigating agencies indicated that a team of senior officials of the agencies, and senior officials from the Government of India are in Dominica for the hearing at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
“India has to present a tough case against Mehul Choksi in the Dominica Court. To produce relevant papers and evidence in court as per the practices of the Indian agencies,” sources said.
Choksi’s Dominica-based lawyer Wayne Marsh earlier told ANI that his client has been abducted from Antigua and taken to Dominica against his will.
“He (Choksi) reported to me that he was abducted at Jolly Harbour in Antigua and brought to Dominica by persons whom he believed to be Indian and Antiguan police on a vessel he described to be about 60-70 feet in length,” Marsh told ANI.
Choksi’s lawyer has argued earlier in the Caribbean court that, “First of all, Choksi is entitled to a legal representation while he is in Antigua or Dominica. The fact is that he is an Antiguan citizen and not an Indian citizen.”
The Dominican court will hear Mehul Choksi’s case at 9 am ET (6:30 pm IST) on Wednesday, June 2.