India, April 8 -- The Antwerp Court of Appeal has advised the Belgian government to approve the extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi to India on six of the seven charges against him, marking a significant development in the long-running Punjab National Bank fraud case.

In its April 3 recommendation, the court's chamber of accusation stated that offences including criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, fraud, forgery of accounts, embezzlement, and criminal misconduct are punishable under Belgian law, thereby meeting the requirement of legal reciprocity for extradition.

However, the court declined to support extradition on the charge of "tampering or destroying evidence", noting that the offence is not punishable under Belgian ...