Meeting against the backdrop of reports of Bofors kickbacks, the Bharatiya Janata Party's National Executive on Sunday decided to go after the first family of Congress, alleging that Ottavio Quattrocchi's involvement in the pay-offs lead 'directly to the doorstep of Sonia Gandhi'.
A Delhi court on Saturday decided to hold the proceedings afresh on the Central Bureau of Investigation's plea to withdraw the two-decade-old Bofors pay-off case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja, who had earlier reserved her order and deferred the pronouncement of verdict on eight occasions, decided to hear the argument afresh as the trial court record, lying with the Supreme Court, was received two days ago.
A division bench of Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma while declining to concede the plea made by the Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra posted the matter for arguments to April 17.
A Delhi court on Saturday deferred the pronouncement of its order on a plea by an advocate opposing Central Bureau of Investigation's move to withdraw the two-decade-old Bofors pay-off case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.
A bench headed by Justice C K Thakker issued notices to the Centre and the Central Bureau and sought their replies within a week.
"We will wait, study the judgement and then chalk out our future course of action," CBI Director Vijay Shanker told PTI.
The Law minister told reporters that the two bank accounts of the Italian businessman in London were not frozen permanently.
The CBI move might lead to deferring of the two accounts.
A Delhi court on Monday deferred the pronouncement of its order on a plea by an advocate opposing the Central Bureau of Investigation's move to withdraw the two-decade-old Bofors pay-off case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja posted the matter for further proceedings on August 7 in view of the case records lying with the Supreme Court.
The Bofors ghost returned to haunt the Congress party with an income tax tribunal saying that kickbacks of Rs 41 crore were paid to late Win Chaddha, an agent of the Swedish arms manufacturer and Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi in the Howitzer gun deal and that they are liable to pay tax in India on such income.
The sources said the CBI would do everythng possible to trace the movement of the money to the account, which included questioning Quattrocchi, if required. \n\n
The Central Bureau of Investigation sought more time for "true and correct translation" from Spanish to English the order of an Argentinian court rejecting its plea for extradition of Bofors accused Ottavio Quattrocchi, three months after the Supreme Court gave it a time frame to complete the work.
As the deadlock continued in Parliament, the Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party slanging match turned vicious outside with the ruling party on Thursday accusing the opposition of acting as "agents of Maoists".
He maintained that he has 'never had any contract, or any contact with Bofors'.
Bofors trail: India to approach Switzerland in Quattrocchi case
After figuring in category of people wanted by Interpol for 12 years, the CBI has asked the international agency to take off Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, an accused in the multi-crore Bofors payoff scam, from the Red Corner notice list in which he had been put at India's behest.
Three months after he walked to freedom from Argentina, the Central Bureau of Investigation has sent a fresh communication to Interpol seeking details about Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, accused in the Bofors payoff scam, and "assistance" to nab him.
The Congress on Wednesday scoffed at the Opposition's attempts to link Italy's refusal to send back its two marines to face investigations here with India's failure in getting the extradition of Bofors scam accused Ottavio Quattrocchi in the past saying both are different cases.
A combative Rahul Gandhi asked how the govt allowed liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who owes over Rs 9,000 crore to banks, to leave the country.
Sarma said the defamation case will be filed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Guwahati on April 14.
The government does not plan to launch any fresh probe into the Bofors gun deal and Ottavio Quattrocchi stands "discharged" as he could not be extradited even after 20 years of registration of the case, Defence Minister A K Antony said.
Quattrocchi's lawyer Alejandro Freeland is yet to receive "confirmation" that his client is to face an extradition hearing in Misiones Province, but "expects to hear from the authorities there in the next 24 to 48 hours."
Reserving its order to February 21 on the Central Bureau of Investigation's plea for closing the Bofors payoff case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, a Delhi court pulled up the agency saying its probe has "not moved an inch" in the last 24 years.
BJP alleged that banks were 'pushed' into giving Rs 3,100 crore loan to him and unfreezing his bank accounts in 2012.
After lot of deliberation, the CBI this year got the nod from the NDA government to file an appeal in the apex court.
The BJP termed the controversy, which has erupted just two days before the third-phase of the general elections, as Congress ka haath Quattrocchi ke saath (Congress is hand-in-hand with Quattrocchi).
The extradition trial began four months after the Italian businessman was detained in Misiones province on February 6, while he was on his way to Brazil.
Opposition government's reaction to a website claim that the key Bofors case accused had hatched a conspiracy with the LTTE to assassinate former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Filing the status report in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Anil Kumar Sisodia, counsel for CBI Navin Kumar Matta stated that Quattrocchi's identity has been confirmed.
Filing the report in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Seema Maini, the agency stated that extradition proceedings were going on expeditiously.
Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, who appeared on behalf of the CBI, assured the court that the agency would file its response on the claim made by Agarwal.
The CBI had moved the trial court seeking permission for further probe in the matter saying it had come across fresh material and evidence.
After this process, the court would be giving the date for beginning of agruments on Quattrocchi's extradition plea made by CBI.
Party sources said Sonia, addressing the CPP, the first in the Budget session, faulted the main opposition for its stalling tactics in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
His lawyer believes that 'there is significant evidence that the case being brought against Quattrocchi is based on fictitious events.
"I was responding to election results when a newsman asked me about the Quattrocchi issue. All I said was that CBI will be given full freedom in the case, and it was not my intention to hurt anybody," Dr Singh said.
Embarrassed CBI officials said the order was in Spanish and this might have caused the delay in understanding its implications.
Judge Harichi Doi of the First Court of Eldorado has ordered the prosecution to pay Ottavio Quattrocchi's legal fees.
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