India, Oct. 18 -- A court in Belgium on Friday approved the extradition of fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi to India, marking a major breakthrough in the country's years-long effort to bring him back to face trial in the Rs.13,000-crore bank fraud case, NDTV reported, quoting sources.

The Antwerp court ruled that Choksi's arrest by Belgian police in April, based on a formal request from India, was valid and that the offences he is accused of are punishable under both Indian and Belgian law, fulfilling the requirement of dual criminality.

Choksi, 66, has the right to appeal the extradition order before the Belgian Supreme Court within 15 days, the court said.

The fugitive businessman, who has been lodged in a Belgian jail since Apri...