Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from Rajya Sabha, Saket Gokhale on Sunday (August 20) once again alleged that the BJP was using the premier investigative agency, the CBI, against political opponents over the issue of Interpol having had removed the red-corner notice against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi. Mehul Choksi is the main accused in the ₹13,500 Punjab National Bank Loan Case.
Targetting the CBI over not challenging Interpol's red-corner notice against Choksi, Gokhale said, "CBI had then said that it’d appeal with INTERPOL against this removal. It’s been 6 months & the Modi Govt & CBI have been predictably silent on this. There has been no progress or update on the alleged appeal."
"Clearly, the CBI is meant to solely be a private mafia for the BJP to target Opposition leaders. Modi Govt deploys CBI against political opponents but is clearly happy to protect Mehul Choksi, who defrauded the nation of 14,000 crores, & allow him to escape the law freely," said TMC MP Saket Gokhale.
Gokhale further said that Choksi currently tops the list of willful defaulters in India and that the withdrawal of notice against him means that Mehul Choksi is free to travel anywhere in the world except India.
What is an Interpol notice?
An Interpol notice is issued against a fugitive accused of wrongdoing who has escaped the country and has taken refuge or is hiding in some other country. The interpol notice is issued to alert police of other countries about the fugitive.
When was the red-corner notice issued and withdrawn against Mehul Choksi?
The Interpol had withdrawn the red-corner notice against Choksi in March 2023. The notice was issued in December 2018, after request from CBI and ED.
