In a severe setback to fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, Dominica High Court has denied bail saying that he has no ties to Dominica and the court cannot impose any conditions which will assure it that he wouldn't abscond.

The High Court on Friday gave the ruling by concluding that Choksi was a ‘flight risk’, did not have any ties with Dominica and the court could not impose any conditions which will stop him from leaving the country, news outlet AntiguaNewsroom said.

Choksi had approached the High Court after the magistrate had rejected his bail petition. The promoter of Geetanjali Gems and other famous diamond brands in India had fled the country weeks before Rs13,500 crore fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB) allegedly involving him and his nephew Nirav Modi surfaced.

Choksi, 62, who has an Interpol Red Notice against him, had mysteriously gone missing on May 23 from Antigua and Barbuda where he has been staying since 2018 as a citizen after fleeing from India. He was detained in the neighbouring island country of Dominica for illegal entry after a possible romantic escapade with his rumoured girlfriend. Choksi's lawyers alleged that he was kidnapped from Jolly Harbour in Antigua by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and brought to Dominica on a boat.

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