New Delhi, April 1: Antigua, the Caribbean nation where fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi is residing, has turned down the citizenship plea of his nephew and diamond jeweller Nirav Modi. The duo are accused of defrauding the Punjab National Bank - India's second largest state-run lender - to the tune of over $2 billion or Rs 13,000 crore.

Reports on Monday claimed that the Antiguan government, on receiving the request sent by Nirav, decided not to grant him asylum as it is already under fire for issuing citizenship to his uncle, Choksi. An Interpol Red Corner Notice has been issued against both the absconders.

The rejection of Nirav's citizenship plea also comes amid the ongoing extradition proceedings against him at the United Kingdom's Westminster Court.

In a major setback to Nirav, he was denied bail by the court for a second consecutive time last Friday. The next date of hearing in his case has been fixed as April 26.

The scam allegedly involving Nirav and Choksi was unearthed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last year. Days before the registration of FIR in January 2018, the accused, along with their family, fled the nation.

While Choksi's case has turned complicated due to the citizenship being granted to him by Antigua, authorities are firm on extraditing Nirav in the near future. A joint team of CBI and Enforcement Directorate, which reached London to attend Nirav's hearing, indicated that their case is strong enough to hand them a quick legal victory.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2019 05:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).