Took Antigua citizenship lawfully to expand business: Mehul Choksi

Choksi said he had applied for Antigua citizenship 'to expand business interest in the Caribbean'

Fugitive diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi, allegedly involved in an over $2 billion scam in Punjab National Bank, claims he had taken Antigua citizenship last year to expand his business as the passport of the Caribbean nation allowed visa-free travel to 132 countries, local media in Antigua has reported.

In a statement issued by his attorney, David Dorsett, on the diamantaire's behalf, Choksi said there was no truth in the allegations levelled by the Indian government, the Daily Observer, a newspaper in Antigua, reported.

Choksi, who was allegedly the partner-in-crime of his nephew Nirav Modi in the banking fraud, refused to