Janata Party wants White Paper on Quattrocchi case

Chennai, Mar 2: The Janata Party today demanded that the Centre must table a White Paper in Parliament on the Quattrocchi affair beginning with his detention in 1993 by the CBI at Delhi International airport and he being permitted to leave the country and the recent detention in Argentina.

Addressing a press conference here party President Dr Subramanian Swamy also demanded that the White Paper must explain the ''twin- delay'' by the CBI first between February 2, 2007 when Interpol in Buenos Aires reconfirmed its message that Quattrocchi, 'wanted' in India in connection with the Bofors gun scandal, had been taken into custody and February 13 when the CBI wrote to Ministry of External Affairs for a copy of the Argentinian Extradition Act. In fact, the Interpol on the same date had already sent to CBI a copy of the said Act.

He demanded that the Centre must answer why it took six days for the CBI to write to the External Affairs Ministry for this public document which could be easily available even at the Argentinian embassy in Delhi.

Dr Swamy also claimed that incidentally, Quattrocchi was not detained in Argentina in connection with the Bofors gun deal, but on charge of contract for sale of arms to Lebanese shiites.

Alluding to the influence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi's alleged close relations with Quattrocchi, Dr Swamy also demanded that the Centre must not influence the Italian government which has taken up the Quattrocchi case for the first time.

He said Parliament must summon the Attorney General and CBI Director to the bar of the House and asked them to depose in an open Parliament proceedings on the Quattrocchi matter.

UNI