Why the Antigua Govt protects Mehul Choksi ?

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NEW DELHI: The Antigua government has denied extraditing fugitive businessman and accused in the multi-billion dollar PNB loan fraud scam, Mehul Choksi to India, sources in the Enforcement Directorate have said. As per the sources, the Antigua government has also said that it would not arrest Choksi as their Constitution prevents him from arrest. The Antigua government has also made it clear that they will protect Choksi as he has been given citizenship as per the rules, and his passport also cannot be revoked.

 

Why the Antigua Govenrment may not co-operate India?

The ‘Antigua Chronicle’ a leading media in the Caribbean nation had published a long article on Mehul Choksi and his Citizenship in Antigua. The report indicated that the regional governments in the Caribbean have almost made a new revenue generating stream, by harboring billionaire fraudsters. So it is a conscious decision by the Antiguan government to provide citizenship to Choksi under the so called Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP).

“There may be no doubt that, small developing nations, ‘…Strapped for Cash,’ had often been forced to devise creative ways for revenue generation. Considered a new ‘…revenue stream,’ four regional States have established an economic initiative called, ‘…Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP).’ The experts have posited that mounting economic difficulties and balance of payment deficits, have forced …Antigua and Barbuda; …Dominica; …Grenada; and St. Lucia into such programme. It involves bestowing ‘…national status and issuance of passports to ‘…due diligence-checked foreign nationals.’ Such has been ‘…an economic policy-decision of the political directorate’ of the respective countries” the report said.

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