ED offers to provide air ambulance with medical experts to bring Mehul Choksi back
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday rejected a plea by fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi that he should be questioned in Antigua because of his health condition and said it can arrange air ambulance with medical experts to bring him back to India for interrogation in connection with the PNB fraud case.
Choksi, who is an accused in the case, has taken refuge in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua.
He has approached the Bombay High Court and said that he is willing to join investigation if his questioning was held in Antigua or via through video conferencing in the light of his medical condition.
But the ED rejected his plea and said that he has to return to India for questioning.
"Taking a humanitarian approach, the ED is ready to provide an expert medical team along with an air ambulance to bring the petitioner (Choksi) from Antigua to India under the proper medical supervision," the ED said in its counter-affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court.
Choksi has also said that he has left India for his medical treatment abroad and not to avoid prosecution in the case.
Countering his submission, the ED told the court that the best medical facilities are available in India and would be provided to Choksi if he returns to India.
The ED said that the agency''s intention has never been to play with the health or life of any person, may he be an accused.
Choksi absconded after the Rs 14,000-crore PNB fraud came to light in January last year, whereby the primary accused were diamantaires Nirav Modi and Choksi himself.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
