Preeti Kothari, the wife of fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi, has approached a special court seeking the cancellation of a bailable warrant issued against her in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan fraud case amounting to over Rs 13,000 crore. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had named Kothari as an accused in a supplementary charge sheet filed last June, alleging her involvement in "layering of the proceeds of crime".
In her application filed through advocates Vijay Agarwal and Rahul Agarwal, Kothari argued that she was unaware of the ongoing legal proceedings since she had been residing in Antigua and Barbuda since 2018, well before the registration of the money laundering case. She claimed that Indian authorities were informed about her foreign citizenship and place of residence.
The court issued bailable warrants against Kothari on August 9 after she failed to appear in person despite summons. The court directed the ED to respond and adjourned the matter for a hearing on August 25.
The court's decision highlights the delicate balance between personal accountability and the practical challenges of notifying individuals residing abroad about legal proceedings. Kothari's plea underscores that her non-compliance was not willful or deliberate, and she sought the cancellation of the warrant.
Apart from Kothari and Mehul Choksi, the ED's charge sheet also includes Choksi's companies - Gitanjali Gems Ltd, Gili India Ltd, and Nakshatra Brand Ltd - as well as retired Punjab National Bank deputy manager Gokulnath Shetty.
Mehul Choksi, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, and others, were booked by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2018 for their alleged involvement in a massive fraud at the PNB branch in Mumbai.
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