Citing a press statement by the Citizenship Investment Unit of Antigua and Barbuda, the Congress has alleged that the Ministry of External Affairs provided the ‘clean chit’ certificate for the controversial businessman Mehul Choksi’s citizenship of Antigua in May 2017 and aided his “escape” from India.

In a statement, party’s media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Centre certified that there was ‘no adverse information’ against Choksi. He said complicity and connivance of the Narendra Modi government in the escape of ₹23,484-crore PNB scam accused has been exposed.

He termed the press statement by Antigua’s Citizenship By Investment Unit (CIU) as shocking and added that the statement has lifted the cover from the “sins” committed by every organ of the Modi government – PMO, MEA, CBI and SEBI. “It also conclusively exposes the barrage of lies that Ministers in the Modi government were trying to plant in the mainstream media,” he added.

Choksi left India on January 4, 2018 and was already a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017, which gives him a visa-free access to travel around 132 nations, Surjewala claimed. “The Antigua’s Citizenship Investment Unit (CIU) also states that SEBI had also given ‘clean chit’ certificate to Choksi,” Surjewala said.

He said international investigating agency Interpol gave clearance to Choksi as CBI/ED failed to get a warrant issued against him or provide the requisite evidence. “PMO, CBI, ED, SEBI, SFIO, Maharashtra and Gujarat governments deliberately ignored evidence of fraud and multiple complaints against Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi from May 7, 2015,” he said.

“Why did the Prime Minister not raise the issue of Antigua’s citizenship being granted to Choksi, during his meeting with Antigua PM, Gaston Browne in April 2018?” he asked.

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