Q case: Appl filed for details for withdrawal

New Delhi, Aug 18: An application was filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the CBI to place the entire records pertaining to withdrawal of its appeal for extradition of Italian fugitive and Bofors accused Ottavio Quattrocchi from the Argentine Supreme Court.

The El Dorado court of Argentine had rejected the CBI's extradition request which the agency had challenged in the country's Supreme Court.

Advocate Ajay Agarwal has sought directions to the CBI to disclose the circumstances, under which the confidential material (opinions of Director Prosecution, CBI and also of the law officers) was supplied to Mr Freeland, Counsel for the Italian Fugitive, which facilitated the defeat of India's prayer for the extradition of Quattrocchi, who was suspected to have received kickbacks in the Rs 64 crore scandal.

Mr Agarwal has also requested the Supreme Court to seek an explanation from the CBI and the Governmemt why the fact that the Supreme Court of India had already admitted an appeal against the judgement of the Delhi High Court dated May 31, 2005, was concealed from the Argentina Court.

The judgement of Justice R S Sodhi of Delhi High court was used by Quattrocchi to stall his extradition to India.

The petitioner has also reffered to the statement of Argentine Public Prosecutor Lilan Delgado hired by the Indian Government, who had disclosed to 'The Indian Express' that the Government had decided to withdraw the appeal. She said that the Government of India also decided not to file any appeal in the federal court.

Speaking from Misiones, Ms Delgado said she did not know the reason why the Indian Government did it and now it is for the Government to answer why it decided not to file an appreal when she was already prepared for the federal court case.

According to Mr Agarwal, the Goverment of India and CBI have spared no effort to let Quattrocchi of the hook in the case and the CBI was also instrumental in facilitating the withdrawal of 7.32 millions US dollars from the London account of Quattrochi in 2003, after getting his account defrozen.

Mr Agarwal has prayed to the apex court to pass appropiate order in the case in the interest of justice after scrutinising the entire case record. The application is going to be taken up for hearing on Monday.

UNI