June 05: Extradition proceedings against Italian Businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, an accused in the infamous Bofors kickback case would start on June 7, in front of Argentinean court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation informed a city court here that the agency has produced relevant documents in front of the Argentinean court. After filing a status report in the court of chief metropolitan magistrate, Seema Maini, central investigation agency informed that Argentinean court had fixed June 7, to start hearing on New Delhi’s request to extradite the Italian businessman.
Quattrocchi is accused of receiving kickbacks in infamous Bofors Scandal. Quattrocchi has been observed as having close relations with Nehru family, which got strained after the Scandal came into public knowledge. The Bofors Scandal is also considered as a prime reason for the defeat of Congress party in the November 1989 general elections.
The Bofors Scandal was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s; the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors A.B., for winning the bid to supply India's 155 mm field howitzer guns. The case came to light during Vishwanath Pratap Singh's tenure as defence minister, who later on became prime minister of India. Later on Rajiv Gandhi was absolved of the charges, posthumously.
Even now opposition parties accuse Congress and Nehru family of creating hurdles in the extradition of Quattrocchi, which they have denied.
Quattrocchi was detained in Argentina on February 6, but a court released him on bail. However, his passport was impounded and he was barred from leaving the country till a decision on the plea for extradition was taken by the court.
The chief metropolitan magistrate court has asked CBI to file next status report in the matter on July 28. In its earlier status report on March 14, the agency claimed that it was taking time to translate the documents from Spanish to English for preparing extradition papers against the 68-year-old Italian national.
Quattrocchi was arrested in the Argentinean tourist hotspot of Iguazu on the basis of an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued in 1997 against him.
Meanwhile, Italian businessman has denied the charges and termed that the charges were politically-motivated. He is being represented by Alejandro Freeland and Luis Taimini. Hearing of the case began in the Argentinean court on March 23.
The CBI had submitted a 250-page extradition request to the Argentinean government after his arrest in Misiones province on February six while he was on his way to Brazil.
However, Freeland, defence lawyer, had submitted his defence papers to the court, which included previous rulings relevant to the case in India and Malaysian courts and juridical opinion and affidavits in support of his client's 'innocence.'
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