Bofors: CBI accused of helping Quattrocchi go free September 05, 2008

AN OLD NEWS BUT CARRIES LOT OF SIGNIFICANCE IN TODAY'S CBI ACTION AGAINST QUATTROCCHI

I think you remember, a former senior official of the CBI once said, "Quattrocchi is a close relative of Congress president Ms.Sonia Gandhi" (Ms.Antonia Albina Maino, an Italian)

The Central Bureau of Investigation is 'helping' Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, an accused in the Bofors case, after the UPA government came into power in 2004, an advocate alleged in the Supreme Court on Friday.

"It is ex-facie clear that the CBI is helping Quattrocchi ever since the change of guards at the Centre after the general elections in 2004 in the country and at every step CBI is facilitating Quattrocchi so that he may go free from the Bofors investigation," advocate Ajay Agrawal said in an affidavit.

The advocate, who had filed an application questioning government's effort in securing the foreign national's extradition from Argentina after he was detained on February 6, 2007, said the El Dorado court declined India's request as the original arrest order of 1997 by a court in New Delhi was not produced by the CBI.

He was responding to the order passed by the Argentine court, the translated copy of which was provided to him by the Centre. While the advocate was making allegations against the CBI, Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium told a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan that wild charges cannot be levelled.

"If he is aggrieved by any order he should file a substantial petition," the ASG said. He said non-existence of any extradition treaty with Argentina came in the way of getting back Quattrocchi, who was detained on February 6, 2007, at the Iguazu International Airport on the basis of a Red Corner notice issued by Interpol and later released on bail on February 23, 2007.