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In a video interview to ANI, fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi has alleged that the Punjab National Bank (PNB) misinformed the agencies in connection with the Rs 14,000 crore scam.
Giving details of the events that led to the raids on his companies, Choksi said:
Choksi has also claimed that he retired from the company in 2000, despite which, his companies were raided, and nearly Rs 5,000- Rs 6,000 crore of his merchandise was seized.
Choksi has also said that he is certainly under media trial and if he was a fraud then why was the media chasing him for business. He also says that the media has been referring to him as “fraudster”, “fugitive”, “scamster” without using the term “alleged”. He added that he was being targeted because he was a “soft target” in a small country.
Choksi has also termed all the allegations levelled against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) "false and baseless".
Speaking about the revocation of his passport, Choksi said, "The passport authorities revoked my passport altogether, in view of which I was immobilised on 16 February."
He also added that no company should be “dealt” with the way he was.
Choksi further claimed that he was not given an explanation by the regional passport office as to why his passport had been suspended and how he was a security threat to India.
The questions to Choksi, an accused in the PNB scam, were asked by his lawyer in Antigua.
In an earlier interview with the Hindustan Times, Choksi called himself "victim of political persecution" and said that his "life would be in danger" if he were to return to India.
The PNB fraud accused was quoted by the daily as saying:
Speaking to the media hours after Mehul Choksi's video statement came out, Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the public that the government will take strict action against fugitive economic offenders.
Meanwhile, slamming PM Modi on the issue of Mehul Choksi, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said:
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