'Q' pleads innocence, ready to face trial in Italy

New Delhi, June 19: Nursing grouse and anger against the CBI for levelling ''false charges'' against him in the Rs 64-crore Bofors pay-off scandal, Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi is not sure whether his persecution is because of his proximity to the Gandhi family.

''I don't know what kind of political games are going on in India. From my point of view, I've been harassed for the past 20 years, independent of who has been in power and have always won my cases in court,'' Quattrocchi, the prime accused in the Bofors case, told NDTV in an interview.

On the run from Indian law enforcement authorities, he also said he had done ''nothing illegal'' and was ready to face trial in Italy, not in India.

''I was shocked at the false charges. I will sue all those who troubled me,'' said Quattrocchi, who is in Argentina where he was detained by the police after an Interpol red corner notice on the basis of a CBI alert.

Making it amply clear that he was not ready to go to India, he said he had won legal battles in other countries. ''I will surely win this legal battle too,'' he added.

Quattrocchi also said the CBI ''cannot produce anything against me...I have never had any contact with Bofors''.

Earlier, an Argentinean court had rejected the CBI's extradition plea to bring him to India to face trial in the case.

Quizzed about his pending appeal in the Supreme Court, Quattrocchi said he was very confident that going to India's apex court ''would be another humiliation which I think the country I love I would advise to avoid.'' About the role of the Italian government in giving him bail, he explained, ''I've been a person who has done good work not only for Italy but also for relations between countries, between Italy, India and some other Asian countries.'' In a statement issued from Milan in Italy last year, Quattrocchi had said: 'I believe it would be in interest of justice and India's reputation if this case against me is brought to an end.' Quattrocchi was the India representative of Snamprogetti, a Milan-based Italian multinational company involved in engineering and construction projects.

Quattrocchi was Snamprogetti's Asia representative for 16 years, till the late 1980s. He reportedly won some 60 projects worth Rs 300 billion from Asian countries for Snamprogetti.

The scandal erupted in 1987 when Swedish radio revealed that Bofors -- facing stiff international competition -- had paid more than 50 million dollars in bribes to secure a contract for the sale of field guns worth $1.4 billion to the Indian Army.

UNI

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