FRONT PAGE | Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | Email | Print | 
Cong’s farewell gift to nation-in-law: Jaitley
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Quattrocchi walks free, courtesy Govt
The Congress got it from left and right on Tuesday as CBI’s recommendation to withdraw Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Bofors scam accused Ottavio Quattrocchi created a political furore, arming the BJP with fresh ammunition in the midst of the Lok Sabha poll.
From the BJP to Left and Mayawati to Nitish Kumar - all smelled a “political conspiracy” behind the CBI’s decision — that, according to Leader of opposition LK Advani, highlighted the uncertainty in the Congress about their chances to return to power.
Accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi of colluding in the conspiracy to forever bury the truth about Bofors, Advani said in Ahmedabad: “The Congress was not going to come to power. Else, they would have waited for the election to get over and then take this step.” Advani went on to predict that the ruling party would be “punished for its sins” in the same way as in 1989.
Meanwhile, an application has been moved in the Supreme Court challenging the CBI’s decision. The urgent application filed by advocate Ajay Agrawal sought the direction of the apex court to stay the operation of any withdrawal of the RCN against Quattrocchi who has not submitted himself to Indian court in connection with the Bofors case.
Agrawal, who had earlier moved the apex court in January 2006 against the defreezing of Quattrocchi’s bank account in London, sought issuance of Red Corner Notice again. Agrawal said the Interpol should be informed immediately so that Quattrocchi could be nabbed and produced before an Indian court.
The development came as a big embarrassment for the Congress and the BJP did not waste time in raising the anti-corruption pitch. BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said if elected to power the NDA Government would constitute a commission to probe into cases wherein the CBI colluded with the high-profile accused to bail them out. This commission would also suggest remedial measures on how the independence and autonomy of the CBI can be restored.
“Quattrocchi has been a close friend of the Congress leadership. At the time of its departure, the Government is giving a farewell gift to the citizen of a privileged country. It is almost like a farewell gift to a nation-in-law,” Jaitley told reporters here.
Advani, who described the latest development as the last nail in the coffin of judicial process in respect of the Bofors scandal, also promised to examine the Quattrocchi issue after being voted to power”.
“It is obvious that he (Manmohan Singh) and his Government have acted under instruction from 10 Janpath. His silence over the past five years on the systematic misuse of the CBI and the Law Ministry confirms his guilt,” Advani told reporters in Ahmedabad.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati who had a blow-hot-blow-cold relationship with the CBI also shared Advani’s sentiments that the latest development was an “act of desperation” by the Congress.
“Our Government demands from the Centre to immediately revoke the CBI decision to give clean chit to Italian businessman Quattrocchi, who is an accused in Bofors payoff scam. Strict action should be taken against culprits of the scam,” she told reporters in Lucknow.
Her Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar feels the move will raise suspicion on the CBI’s credibility. “Whatever has been done carries no credibility and has failed to address the suspicions being voiced in the media and elsewhere regarding the case for the last several years,” he told reporters in Patna. Kumar said though the matter was brought to light in 1989 and prolonged investigations were launched, people’s suspicions about the payoffs were not cleared.
Entire Left, including Forward Bloc and the RSP, was united in taking on the Congress. The CPI(M) Politburo said the move was “another step to bury” the Bofors scam by the Manmohan Singh Government. “Coming in the wake of the failure to successfully prosecute all those involved in the bribery case, it is evident that as long as there is a Congress-led Government in office, the subversion of justice will continue,” the party statement read.
CPI national secretary D Raja said that it was now up to the Congress-led UPA and CBI to explain its position on the matter which has generated “a lot of controversy”. “The role of the CBI is questioned in a number of instances. It is now for the Government and the CBI to explain the position,” Raja said.
The embarrassment notwithstanding, the Congress took a defiant posture and blamed the “the BJP for politicising” the Quattrocchi issue and said that BJP-led NDA Government should have taken up the matter during its regime.
Party spokesman Anand Sharma said, “Bofors has been on Opposition agenda for over 23 years now. But not even a single thread of evidence has been produced so far. In 1989, an election was fought wrongfully vilifying the Prime Minister for having brought to the country the finest weapon system.”
Sharma claimed that Bofors guns had provide themselves in Kargil war. “The same BJP, which had criticised the weapon system and made accusations about kickbacks, praised it after its success in Kargil War.”
Taking a dig at the BJP, which termed the CBI’s move as an attempt by the Congress to save “personal family friend of Gandhi family”, senior party leader and spokesman M Veerappa Moily said if there was any proof against the businessman, the NDA should have taken up the matter during its rule.
“We have nothing to do with Quattrocchi. The Bofors case has been in the public for over two decades. If there was any proof of his involvement in the scam, the NDA, which ruled the country for seven years, should have taken some steps,” Moily said. The controversy erupted when the CBI asked the Interpol to take off Quattrocchi, accused in the Rs 64 crore Bofors payoff scam, from its Red Corner Notice list.
The Congress accused the BJP-led NDA Government of wasting time and money over unnecessary litigation in getting Quattrocchi extradited. Sharma said: “In Malaysia, the authorities made an arrest and then the Government of India fought a case in the sessions court. There they lost. They still went to Court of Appeals, where the case was thrown out. Malaysia and India follow the same jurisprudence. Can I ask who is responsible for two-and-a-half years of litigation, three lost appeals and strictures passed against India?”
The Congress denied there has been any interference in functioning of the CBI. Moily said the Congress has never interfered in the affairs of the CBI or any other agency and will never do so in the future too. “If we wanted to shut the case, then we could have done it when we were in power. The case took its legal course. Now, since he has been acquitted by the court, it would have been illegal to keep a notice pending against him unless there is a case,” Moily said.
He said the Congress has always believed that all cases should take its own legal course and if there was any proof against anyone, the person should be prosecuted. “But once everything has been settled by the courts, then why politicise the issue,” he asked.
I consider both the Prime Minister and Congress president guilty. This is the last nail in the coffin of the judicial process in respect of the Bofors scandal. We will examine Quattrocchi issue if voted to power. They (Congress) are not going to come to power. Else, they would have waited for the election to get over and then taken this step
-- NDA prime ministerial candidate LK Advani
The Centre has no role in CBI asking the Interpol to drop Quattrocchi’s name from its Red Corner notice list. This is a politically motivated allegation. The notice was issued by the Interpol on the basis a non-bailable warrant against Quattrocchi. Later, it transpired during the extradition proceedings against the accused in Argentina that there was no such non-bailable warrant in existence...Court there held that there was no such warrant and he has been arrested in violation of the law and ordered that he should be set free
-- Law Minister HR Bhardwaj
Quattrocchi has been a close friend of the Congress leadership. At the time of its departure, the Government is giving a farewell gift to the citizen of a privileged country. It is almost like a farewell gift to a nation-in-law
-- BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley
The agency had proof that Quattrocchi had allegedly received US $ 7.32 million as kickbacks in Rs 64-crore Bofors scam. There are documents with the CBI showing that Quattrocchi received US $ 7.32 million. The documents have been given by the Swiss authorities themselves. The documents are with the Government and the CBI and also part of records in Delhi High Court
-- Former CBI Director Joginder Singh
-- See edit: Winding up charges: Congress lets Mr Q walk free
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