Bahamas has sought information from Indian authorities about Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi's bank account linking him to kickbacks allegedly received by him in the Bofors payoff case.
The CBI headquarters received a communication to this effect from the Prosecutor General of Bahamas in which the country had asked the agency to furnish details about the bank account, agency sources said here today.
The CBI secured a Letters Rogatory from a city court on February 24 in which it had requested the Bahamas authorities for details of the account of Quattrocchi, one of the main accused in the Rs. 64 crore Bofors payoff case.
The Letters Rogatory was sent through the Indian Mission in Washington as there was no direct diplomatic contact with Bahamas. The CBI request sought details from Bahamas about the account in its AES bank from where funds were transferred to the London bank of Quattrocchi which remained frozen on the request of the investigating agency.
The clarifications from Bahamas would be completed soon and sent to them for early details about the account of the Italian businessman.
Claiming that the CBI had managed
to trace the route of the money, the sources said the money was first deposited
in Switzerland from where it was shifted to Gurnsey Island.