Dominica PM Roosevelt Skerrit obstructs Mehul Choksi extradition

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Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has the past record of giving shelter to most-wanted criminals in exchange for financial benefit. He is doing the same on Mehul Choksi case. According to media reports, Skerrit termed fugitive diamantaire Choksi as an “Indian citizen” but he is not willing to hand him over to Indian authorities saying, court will decide the fate of the fugitive. Skerrit even went further by saying, Dominica will protect the rights of Mehul Choksi and ensure he gets justice.

Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Dominica House of Assembly, Lennox Linton slammed Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s government and issued a strong statement on the entire episode of India-born businessman Mehul Choksi, saying ‘no law, no constitution’ lives in the country.

“‘No Law, No Constitution’ and Dominica’s deteriorating international image,” Linton said in a statement.

A new charge has also been levelled against Skerrit by the main opposition party in Dominica, alleging that the Dominican Prime Minister is also part of the same conspiracy involving Mehul Choksi.

“The presence of Indian born Antigua and Barbuda citizen Mehul Choksi in Dominica following allegations that he was kidnapped in Antigua, beaten, ferried to Dominica and taken into the country against his will, highlights once again the extent to which departments of government are involved in organized crime under the influence and/or direction of the regime of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit,” the opposition leader said.

Earlier on Choksi’s arrest in Dominica, Antiguan PM Gaston Browne exclusively told Indian news agency ANI over the phone that he had spoken to the Dominican government and the Indian Ambassador regarding the fugitive diamantaire’s repatriation.

“The Indian government can send a private jet to Dominica for the deportation of Mehul Choksi. I have spoken to the Prime Minister of Dominica and the Indian Ambassador in this regard,” Antigua PM told ANI.

Choksi had gone missing from Antigua on May 23 after going out for dinner and was soon caught in Dominica. He is currently in the Quarantine Center in Dominica.

In addition, Linton has also demanded a full investigation in connection with Choksi on the way he was brought against his will in Dominica.

“The obvious collaboration between the governments of Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda and India in undermining the judiciary in the Eastern Caribbean. The Police, Immigration and Customs Officials who openly allowed violations of the law to 1) facilitate the operators of the St Lucia based schooner; and 2) detain Choksi on allegations of illegal entry. The Ministers of Government who instructed and/or influenced Police, Immigration and Customs Officials to unlawfully facilitate the inhumane transfer of Choksi to Dominica,” he said.

Choksi, wanted in India on bank fraud charges, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and money laundering, had bought Antigua and Barbuda citizenship through the Citizenship by Investment Program in 2017. He has been living in Antigua and Barbuda since 2018 and is opposing court action to revoke his Antiguan citizenship and have him extradited to India.

It may be mentioned here that, Dominica, a Caribbean island country is infamous for years for selling citizenship and even diplomatic positions to various individuals, including criminals and fugitives. In India, Dominica’s agent CS Global Partners is actively luring locals in smuggling-out hundreds of millions of dollars and also selling Dominica’s citizenship and diplomatic positions to various individuals. According to information, CS Global Partners has its office in New Delhi at 29, Jor Bagh, New Delhi 110003, India.

Similarly, it is luring Chinese nationals in buying citizenship or diplomatic positions in Dominica. Beijing office of CS Global Partners is located at 12/F Guangming Office Building, No. 42 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100125, China.

Although according to Chinese and Indian laws, buying citizenship of any other country without prior permission of the authorities concerned is illegal, it is a matter of great surprise as to how CS Global Partners is operating its office both in India and China helping locals in smuggling-out millions of dollars every year.

According to the US Department of State Money Laundering Assessment (INCRS), Dominica is categorized by it as a Country/Jurisdiction of Primary Concern in respect of Money Laundering and Financial Crimes.

It was reported that Dominica acts as a conduit for the washing of dirty money by international drug traffickers.

The state department has listed Dominica among over 90 major money laundering countries, putting in the company of states such as Afghanistan, Columbia, Russia, and the US itself, “whose financial institutions engage in currency transactions involving significant amounts of proceeds from international narcotics trafficking”.

According to news reports, thousands of Indian nationals are draining-out millions of dollars to Dominica through an organized racket controlled by Roosevelt Skerrit and his cohorts.

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