CBI in a quandary over Quattrocchi's extradition

New Delhi, Feb 24 (UNI) After 18 days of wrangling to get Ottavio Quattrocchi extradited, the Central Bureau of Investigation now finds itself in troubled waters as the agency had earlier declared that it had no ''concrete evidence'' against him in the multi-crore Bofors pay-off scam.

Earlier, the investigating agency had in January 2006 asked a British court to defreeze the two accounts of the Italian businessman with a balance of three million Pound Sterling and one million US dollars respectively, which had been 'sealed' at the request of the Indian government.

''Yes it would be very difficult for the agency to get Quattrocchi extradited as the statements made in UK court seeking defreezing of his accounts could go against the government's effort to get him here,'' said a senior official involved in the extradition process.

Quattrocchi might use the argument in the Argentinian court when a formal request is made to the government before March 5 -- the date when the 30-day deadline to start the extradition process with Argentina ends, he said.

Meanwhile, CBI Director Vijay Shankar did not answer the query when contacted.

The agency, already in a fire-fighting mode over the 'Interpol Red Corner Notice' against Quattrocchi issued about a decade back, is grappling with fresh problems over bringing him back to India to face charges of 'cheating and conspiracy' pending against him here.

The dilemma over the 'Red Corner Notice' is that once it comes into force, it cannot be taken back unless an undertaking to the Interpol is given that no criminal charges was pending against the accused.

''We cannot give such an undertaking because we still have cases against him of cheating and conspiracy in the Bofors case,'' the official said.

The CBI also has documentary evidence of Quattrocchi's involvement in the high-profile Bofors scam that dominated Indian politics for more than two decades.

Quattrocchi is alleged to be a close friend of the Gandhi family.

In view of this, allegations had also been levelled against former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors case.

Quattrocchi was detained earlier this month on February 6 in the Argentinian province of Misiones on way to Buenos Aires and taken into preventive custody.

UNI