A special court in Mumbai on Wednesday gave businessman Mehul Choksi time till October 30 to file his reply to an Enforcement Directorate plea seeking to declare him a fugitive under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, PTI reported.

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are accused of defrauding the Punjab National Bank of over Rs 13,500 crore.

Choksi’s lawyer, Sanjay Abbot, told the court they have been provided a copy of the Enforcement Directorate’s complaint and needed time to file a reply. Following this, judge MS Azmi adjourned the matter to October 30.

The agency had moved the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court seeking to declare Choksi and Modi “fugitive economic offenders” and an approval to confiscate their assets, both movable and immovable, worth Rs 3,500 crore. On Tuesday, the court asked Modi to file his reply on October 29.

Choksi and Modi are under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation. A CBI court had issued non-bailable warrants against Choksi and Modi. On Friday, Choksi moved a special court in Mumbai seeking the cancellation of the non-bailable warrant.

Choksi fled India in January, a few weeks before the scam at Punjab National Bank came to light. He was granted citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017. Last month, he said he had “lawfully applied” to become a citizen of the island nation to expand his business interests in the Caribbean.