india

Updated: Apr 24, 2019 23:58 IST

Claiming that health complications had prevented him from returning to India, Mehul Choksi, one of the prime accused in the Rs 13,500-crore fraud at Punjab National Bank, has approached Bombay high court seeking a fresh hearing before the special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court on his preliminary objection to the proceedings initiated by the Enforcement Directorate under Fugitive Economic Offender (FEO) Act, 2018.

Choksi approached the HC after the special court on December 15, 2018 rejected his preliminary objection to the FEO proceedings, initiated by ED on the ground that the absconding diamond trader had “refused” to return to India. He had sought quashing of the EFO proceedings, contending that he had not intentionally refused to return to India but was unable to return due to his medical condition. He had also submitted his relevant medical record for the consideration of the special court, but the application was dismissed. In his plea to HC, he referred to the statement made by ED in its FEO application before the special court that the accused “has left the country under suspicious circumstance in the first week of January (2018) and deliberately avoided joining investigation in spite of issuance of summons for his appearance”.

“The said averment is not true as the accused has not deliberately / intentionally refused to return but was unable to return because of his persisting medical conditions,” his plea stated.

It added that Choksi has been suffering with medical conditions since 2012 and a CT scan and an angiogram showed several blocked arteries. “Petitioner consulted doctors in India, who advised him that his heart disease would likely need treatment by stents or bypass surgery,” it said, adding, thereafter he had to travel abroad where he became breathless and fell ill. He then consulted foreign doctors who conducted further tests and angiograms and the results revealed that two stents were required to be placed to remove blockages from his arteries.