Mumbai court rejects Mehul Choksi’s plea to release mortgaged properties

A special court in Mumbai has rejected an intervention application filed by fugitive economic offender Mehul Choksi, who, according to the Indian government, has been on the run and hiding in Antigua because of an investigation into the PNB scam worth 13,000 crore.The court was hearing an application made by ICICI Bank seeking possession of two properties seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during its probe into the scam.

The properties are estimated to be worth Rs 636 crore.In his plea before the court, Choksi had claimed that he is the owner of the flat on the 10th floor of the Gokul building at Mumbai's Walkeshwar Road and house number 536 at Bamansure village at Kihim in Alibaug taluka of Raigad district.Choksi's lawyer, Vijay Aggarwal, also submitted that since his client is the owner of the property, the court cannot restore the property to the bank without hearing his side.However, ICICI Bank had opposed Choksi's intervention and special Judge SM Menjoge saw that the properties which ICICI Bank was seeking were owned by companies and not by Choksi individually.The companies that owned the properties were "N and J Finstock Pvt. Ltd, Rohan Merchantile Pvt. Ltd, Gitanjali Infratech Ltd and Hyderabad Gems SEZ Ltd and not by accused," said the judge. Choksi's wife, Preeti Kothari, who allegedly has been refusing to return to India and has a standing non-bailable warrant against her, said that the central agency was aware that she had long back shifted to Antigua with her husband, but it chose to serve summons at their Mumbai residence.