Mehul Choksi’s Lawyer Vijay Aggarwal Denied Bail in UK

LONDON, Sep 23: Criminal lawyer Vijay Aggarwal, who has represented fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi in fraud and money-laundering proceedings, was denied bail by a UK court on Wednesday in a sexual assault case.

Aggarwal appeared before Justice John Milne at Southwark Crown Court for a bail hearing. The judge rejected his application, citing concerns that he could pose a flight risk and might fail to attend his trial, which is scheduled for March 2027.

The Crown Prosecution Service strongly opposed bail, pointing to the seriousness of the allegations against the 57-year-old lawyer.

Aggarwal’s barrister, Sasha Wass, told the court that her client was a man of “good character”. He has been held at Wandsworth prison in south-west London for more than a month.

Aggarwal and his assistant, Manpreet Kaur, were arrested at a property on Brick Street in Mayfair on August 11 in connection with alleged sexual offences reported on May 26 and August 9.

Aggarwal faces four counts of sexual assault, while Kaur, 41, has been charged with two counts of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence involving sexual assault.

Kaur was due to appear at Wednesday’s hearing through a videolink, but an administrative error at the prison prevented her from attending. As a result, the formal arraignment of both accused was postponed to a later date.

Following the arrests, the Metropolitan Police said two women who reported the alleged assaults were continuing to receive support from specialist officers.

The case remains before the UK courts, with further proceedings expected ahead of the scheduled trial.