Author: Utkarsh Anand
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: April 30, 2009
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/after-ags-clean-chit-cbi-told-court-q-wan/452900/
When the CBI goes to the court of the Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi today hearing the Ottavio Quattrocchi Bofors
case, it may have a lot of explaining to do.
For, its claim that it went by Attorney General
Milon Banerji's opinion to withdraw the Red Corner Notice (RCN) against accused
Quattrocchi flies in the face of the agency's last statement to the court.
Records show that on November 20, 2008, more
than three weeks after Banerji's opinion (October 24, 2008), the CBI told
the court: "The RCN against Ottavio Quattrocchi is still in existence
and the CBI is taking up the matter for extradition of the accused."
This despite the fact, as reported by The
Indian Express and confirmed by Law Minister H R Bhardwaj, that the stage
was being set for the RCN's withdrawal right from the time Quattrocchi complained
about it after walking free in Argentina in June 2007.
When asked why the court was kept in the dark
about the AG's opinion, CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal said: "The agency
will present its version before the court. We will answer all queries to the
judge."
When contacted, CBI counsel U S Prasad said:
"I am yet to receive directions from the CBI headquarters over the matter.
You will have to wait till tomorrow."
While the CBI has been silent since that November
2008 submission, the agency had, on February 29, 2008, also echoed the same
line: the RCN was operational and efforts were on to bring Quattrocchi to
India.
That's not all.
On July 28, 2007, the CBI told the Delhi court
that the court in El Dorado, Argentina, had, on June 9, turned down India's
plea to extradite Quattrocchi.
But on October 12, 2007 - four months after
Quattrocchi walked free in Argentina - the CBI curiously told the court that
its appeal was pending adjudication.
This despite the fact that the appeal had
been withdrawn from the Argentine Supreme Court, once again based on the advice
of the Law Ministry and the Law Minister Bhardwaj.
