Antigua and Barbuda 'examining' Choksi's extradition request: Ministry of External Affairs
New Delhi, Oct 18: The request for extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi is being "examined" by Antigua and Barbuda, the Ministry of External Affairs said Thursday.
Answering a question on Choksi, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar at a briefing said, "According to the information that I have, the extradition request by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and the ED (Enforcement Directorate), is being examined by them (Antigua and Barbuda authorities) and after they have examined it, they have said they will convey their response to India."
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had met Foreign Minister of Antigua and Barbuda E P Chet Greene last month on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and raised the issue of extradition of Choksi, who is currently in the Caribbean island.
Greene had conveyed to Swaraj the assurances of his Prime Minister for fullest cooperation of their government in the matter of extradition of Choksi to India, Kumar had said after the meeting.
Choksi is one of the alleged masterminds of the USD 2 billion scam in state-run Punjab National Bank and is an uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi. He is wanted in India by the CBI and ED probing the fraud.
On a question on absconding businessman Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, Kumar said that in the case of Nirav Modi, extradition requests from the CBI and ED are pending with the UK authorities.
"The requests are under consideration," he said.
"We are committed to take this matter forward and to bring back the economic offenders," he said.
On Mallya, he said the Westminster Magistrates' Court has fixed December 10 as the date for verdict in the case.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
