On Thursday, March 8th, CBI issued a new summon to appear before the Enforcement Directorate to the accused in the Punjab National Bank scam, Nirav Modi and his Uncle Mehul Choksi. After not obeying of several summons issued on February 19, 23 and 28 to the diamond merchants to appear on March 7th, a fresh summon was issued on Thursday instructing them to join the investigation process as soon as possible.
Mr. Mehul Choksi, the promoter of Gitanjali Gems, in his seven pages letter which was presented by his lawyer stated that it was not possible for him to return to India and obey the instruction of the CBI to join the investigation as his passport has been suspended and he is undergoing medical treatment. Mehul Choksi claimed that on February 16, he received an email from the passport office informing him that his travel documents are been suspended as there is a threat to his security in India; moreover he also claimed that he had undergone a cardiac procedure in the first week of February this year and he is still under the medical procedure of such as the time period of the procedure has been extended due to certain danger to his kidney and he is strictly not allowed to travel for a period of at least four to six months.
Citing the reason in the same line to that of Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi presented the same reason for not being able to travel back to India.
However, the CBI instructed Modi to approach the Indian Mission in the country where they are residing at present, so that an immediate arrangement can be made for their travel to India.
CBI had already asked them to join the investigation which is related to the $2 Billion scam which pertains the issuance of LoUs and LCs in a fraudulent nature from Brady House branch of the Punjab National Bank in Mumbai. It is alleged that those LoUs and LCs worth $2 billion almost were issued to the companies in name of Mr. Modi and Mr. Choksi from the bank through SWIFT messages which have not entered the banking software of the Punjab National Bank to bypass surveillance.
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