Author: PTI
Publication: Rediff.com
Date: January 11, 2006
URL: http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/jan/11bofors.htm?q=tp&file=.htm
After years of legal wrangling in various
courts in the United Kingdom, the Central Bureau of Investigation has finally
told the British authorities that the agency did not have any evidence to
link the frozen three million Euros and one million Dollars of Italian businessman
Ottavio Quattrocchi in two bank accounts in London with the Bofors payoff
case.
Highly placed agency sources said that Additional
Solicitor General B Datta had visited the Crown Prosecutor Service in Britain
and informed them about the CBI's stand that no evidence was available with
the agency to link the money.
Bofors, the smoking gun: Complete Coverage
A British court had ordered in July 2003 that
the two bank accounts - 5A51 51516L and 5A5151516M - with BSIAG Bank, London
having three million Euros and one million Dollars respectively would continue
to remain frozen.
The CBI move might lead to deferring of the
two accounts.
The Italian businessman had appealed against
the freeze in various courts but failed to get any reprieve. However, the
Court of Appeal in UK, which is part of the Supreme Court of Judicature, had
upheld the High Court's order dismissing Quattrocchi's petition with cost
of 38,460 Pounds to be paid to the prosecution out of the frozen funds.
The Crown Prosecution Service of Britain,
which was arguing the case on behalf of the CBI, has also informed the British
High Court about the decision of the agency, the sources said.
The prosecution had argued that the money
could not be released, as there was an immediate need to probe its source
following the CBI allegation that it was part of the payment that Quattrocchi
had got from Bofors. Following this, the CBI had also sought Letters Rogatory
for Bahamas to ascertain the route of the money.
CBI had contended in its petition to British
authorities in 2003 that Quattrocchi, one of the main accused in the Rs 64
crore Bofors scam, "in a deceitful manner...had been transferring the
funds from one account to another to evade detection by the law."
CBI had also claimed that it was believed
that 'the amount of three million Pounds stashed in the accounts was a part
of $73.43 lakh paid to him (Quattrochhi) by A B Bofors through A E Services."
Quattrocchi had maintained in the past that
he was not involved in Bofors payoffs and that he was being targeted for political
reasons. Meanwhile, private television channel CNN-IBN claimed that the CBI
Director (Prosecution) had recommended that a appeal be not filed against
the Delhi High Court's order given in May 2005, which exonerated the Hinduja
brothers.
"It would really be a travesty of justice
and fair play if the accused are forced to face trial without any definite
time frame. I am not inclined to recommend a special leave petition against
the order," a release of the TV network claimed was written by the Director
Prosecution on the file.
