BJP demands probe into 'Quattrocchi extradition fiasco'

Hyderabad, June 11 (UNI) The (BJP today demanded an inquiry by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court into the CBI's 'Argentine fiasco' as an El Dorado Court rejected its plea to extradite Italian businessman and key accused in the Bofors Scam, Ottavio Quattrocchi, to stand trial in the case.

Talking to the media here, BJP Spokesman Prakash Javadeker alleged the UPA Government's mission to save Quattrocchi had succeeded at the cost of the nation.

''Failure to get the Italian fugitive extradited was nothing but compromising on national interests to please the first family of the Congress,'' he alleged.

Seeking explanation from the government on two counts, he questioned why CBI Prosecution Director S K Sharma, on deputation from Law Ministry, was sent to Argentina despite already expressing the legal view the case did not exist against Quattrocchi.

He wondered how the secret documents, including the file notings of the CBI, were available to Quattrocchi's counsel.

When told that Quattrocchi's counsel could have got them through the Right to Information (RTI) Act or through the Prosecution Counsel by an order of the court, Mr Javdekar said the documents and the file notings were not available to common citizens through the RTI and it was the defence counsel and not the prosecution that submitted the documents to the court on the basis of which the extradition plea was rejected.

Mr Javadekar alleged the government's willingness to save Quattrocchi was visible right from the beginning as it did not allow the CBI to file an appeal against the High Court judgement holding nobody guilty in the Bofors Case.

Secondly, he alleged, in the case of de-freezing of Quattrocchi's accounts, UPA's Law Officer Datta kept the CBI in the dark.

He alleged Datta had exceeded his brief by de-freezing Quattrocchi's accounts himself.

The BJP spokesperson said the country could not forget that there was a written contract between the A E Service of Quattrocchi and the Bofors, mentioning clearly the former would help the latter in getting the Indian contract before March 31, 1986 and the deal was done on March 24, 1986.

He said the nation also remembered how 13 top secretaries and ministers cleared the file in a single day.

Mr Javedkar claimed the Argentine court verdict was the result of the government's all-out effort to save and not nab Quattrocchi.

UNI