Petition questioning CBIs failure to extradite Quattrocchi moved in SC

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court today seeking a direction from the apex court to the Government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to place before it all documents pertaining to Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchis extradition from Argentina where he was detained for six months.

New Delhi, Aug 18 : A petition was filed in the Supreme Court today seeking a direction from the apex court to the Government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to place before it all documents pertaining to Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi's extradition from Argentina where he was detained for six months.

The petition was filed by Advocate Ajay Agrawal who sought a detailed examination of reasons behind the Government's move to withdraw the appeal for extradition after it was once rejected by a local court in El Dorado.

Agarwal had also filed a petition in the Supreme Court, earlier, seeking directions on the de-freezing of two of Quattrocchi's bank accounts in London.

Quattrocchi, an accused in the Bofors kickback case, left for his home in Milan in Italy from Argentina on Wednesday after the CBI reportedly did not appeal for his extradition.

A local court had dismissed the agency's request for the same on June 8.

The El Dorado court in its 'detailed order' stated that India had to lose its case against Quattrocchi because it did not get a "fresh arrest warrant" against the latter.

The court, which declared Quattrocchi's detention as illegal, raised questions about the 1997 Interpol's Red Corner Notice against him, which apparently was not valid in the absence of an arrest warrant.

Earlier, the court had asked the CBI to pay Quattrocchi's legal fees in Argentina. As per Argentinean law, such orders are issued if the judge believes that the defendant did not have a case to answer.

On December 13, 2002, India failed to obtain Quattrocchi's extradition from Malaysia after a court there dismissed India's plea due to insufficient evidence.

Quattrocchi is accused of cheating the Indian exchequer while brokering a deal for the purchase of Swedish-made Bofors field guns in 1987.

The then Rajiv Gandhi Government had signed the Rs 1,437 crore deal with AB Bofors in March 1986 for the supply of 400 Howitzer field guns for the Army on the condition that the parties would engage no middlemen.

After obtaining the contract, AB Bofors had alleged that it had paid a commission of Swedish Croner 50.46 million to Quattrocchi through arms supply agent AE Services Ltd.

ANI