Last Updated on March 29, 2022, 1:55 PM AST by Anthony Morris
An Indian fugitive residing in Antigua and Barbuda recently held a meeting with Harold Lovell, the leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP). Mehul Choksi, who defrauded Indian banks for a whopping $2 billion, promised the opposition leader election funding if he succeeded in helping him out get out of the impending criminal and citizenship-related charges.
Mehul Choksi and Harold Lovell met in an Italian restaurant situated in Antigua over the weekend. The owner of the restaurant, Richard Parker revealed how the two talked about the deal, with Lovell promising safety and immunity if he managed to become the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
Notably, Choksi, who flew to Antigua and Barbuda in 2018 and a case against his citizenship, is already under way in the High Court of the country. The government challenged his citizenship after they were made aware of the “Yellow Notice” issued by Interpol.
In May 2021, he also tried to escape Antigua and Barbuda; he illegally entered the sister island of Dominica, where the authorities captured him from a beach, as reported by local media.
The current development of the political scenario in Antigua and Barbuda is a cause of concern for many as outsiders are now injecting funds to influence the top brass. Notably, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne had clearly stated that government would not allow any person with criminal or financial fraud to become a citizen of the country through their economic gateway.
Parker said they both attended the restaurant for lunch during the third week of March 2022. It is not surprising that both had a secret meeting as Opposition Leader Lovell had come up to support Mehul Choksi against extradition to India. Moreover, PM Browne accused Lovell of supporting Choksi to secure election funding.
Choksi’s legal team had claimed that he is a citizen of Antigua, where he obtained citizenship in 2018. Meanwhile, Indian authorities stated that Choksi is an Indian citizen and that he is incorrectly claiming renunciation of citizenship under the Citizenship Act of 1955.
Earlier, The government of Antigua and Barbuda had been chastised by Lovell for proposing that fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, who was arrested in Dominica on May 26, be handed over immediately to India, claiming that this is against Antiguan law, but made no mention of his yellow notice of Interpol.
He directly stated that sending Mehul Choksi to India from Dominica is not right as it will damage the image of its economic citizenship programme. This raises questions over the opposition leader about why he was very interested in bringing a fraudster back to Antigua and Barbuda. His pressure to bring Choksi back raises eyebrows.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
