A Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai on Thursday issued summons against absconding diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi in connection with the Punjab National Bank fraud case.
The court asked Modi and Choksi to appear before September 25 and September 26 respectively or be declared Fugitive Economic Offenders.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier this month filed two separate applications in the special court against Modi and Choksi under Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018. It also sought orders for confiscation of their movable and immovable assets in India, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates worth Rs 3,500 crore.
Choksi filed the application, under Section 70(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). It states that due to ill health, he left for abroad for a regular health checkup. According to the application, Choksi is a “law-abiding citizen” and “never shied away from the investigation or the investigating agencies and duly responded to all the communications received by him from the investigating agencies.”
Choksi stated that following persons have “grievances and anger” against him – the existing employees whose salaries and dues have not been paid because of freezing of the accounts; the families of detained employees who have been arrested without any rhyme or reason; the landlords whose premises the companies had taken on rent, who have not been paid their dues; the customers whose jewellery in showroom have been taken away by the Enforcement Directorate (ED); the creditors of supplies and services, who have not been paid their dues.
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