PNB Scam: Mehul Choksi ends quiet, calls ED's assertions 'false and baseless

Antigua, Sep 11 Defending himself, criminal diamantaire Mehul Choksi on Tuesday said that all allegations leveled against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are "false and baseless."

Choksi said, "All the allegations leveled by the ED are false and baseless. They have attached my properties illegally without there being any basis of the same."

The questions were asked by Choksi's lawyer in Antigua.

Prime charged in the over USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank scam along with his nephew Nirav Modi, Choksi is slipping absconding and is currently in Antigua.

He said that he also tried to revoke the suspension of his passport with the Indian authorities.

"The passport authorities revoked my passport altogether in perspective of which I was immobilize. On February 16, I got an email from the passport office which said that my passport has been suspended because of reasons of security threat to India. On February 20, I sent an email to the regional passport office, Mumbai, requesting them to revoke the suspension of my passport. Be that as it may, I didn't get any answer from the regional passport office," he said.

Choksi further asserted that he was not given a purpose behind the wiping out of his passport.

"The regional passport office did not give a clarification with respect to why my passport has been suspended and how I was a security danger to India. Thus, as my passport was suspended, there was no question of surrendering the same," stated Choksi.

His statement comes when the Indian government is trying to extradite Choksi to India under the diplomatic provisions.