NEW DELHI: The lawyer of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who was denied bail in the Dominica high court, said on Saturday that he cannot be sent back to India till his trial is going on in Dominica.
"Till his trial is going on in Dominica, he (Mehul Choksi) can't be sent back to India. We've been given the liberty to reapply for bail after we show our roots in Dominican society. There is no res judicata in bail," said Mehul Choksi's lawyer Vijay Aggarwal.
In a major setback to fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, Dominica High Court denied bail saying that he has no ties to Dominica and the court cannot impose any conditions which will assure it that he wouldn't abscond.
Dominica High Court also pointed out how Choksi proposed that he will stay with his brother in the hotel, but that is not a fixed address. The court also noted that his trial has not started yet.
Judge Wynante Adrien-Roberts of Dominica High Court decided not to grant bail to Mehul Choksi after the conclusion of the submissions made by both the sides.
The court also highlighted that Mehul Choksi didn't offer any strong surety before the court while he sought bail and he's a flight risk too, Antigua Newsroom reported.
Currently, Choksi has got interim relief from immediate repatriation to India by the Dominican court.
While arguing, Choksi's Counsel cited medical grounds for bail and dismissed flight risk.
The court verdict comes a few days after Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit termed Choksi as an "Indian citizen" and stated that the courts will decide what happens to the fugitive. He added that the government will protect the rights of Choksi as he awaits trial.
Choksi had gone missing from Antigua on May 23 after going out for dinner and was soon caught in Dominica. He was charged with illegal entry by the police in Dominica after he allegedly escaped from Antigua and Barbuda in a possible attempt to evade extradition to India.
The 62-year-old fugitive is wanted in India in connection with a Rs 13,500-crore fraud in the Punjab National Bank (PNB).