Govt mum on Quattrocchi accounts

    New Delhi: The government is in no mood to take immediate action in matter concerning retrieval of money from Quattrocchi's bank account. The Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee today showed 'helplessness' in this issue saying that "We have no jurisdiction on other countries. We can at best make a request to them (UK authorities)." Speaking to the reporters after watching a NCC parade here, Mukherjee said "all possible actions will be taken." However, on asked about the sending of a formal request to UK , Defence Minister brushed aside the question saying "views of the legal experts will be taken" in this regard. Supreme Court had earlier passed a status quo to be maintained with respect to the bank accounts of Quattrocchi in London Branch of BSIG Bank. However, the Court did not make Union Law Minister, Hansraj Bhardwaj and Additional Solicitor General B. Dutta party to the case and issued notices to the Central government and the CBI.

   Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Guwahati had given a clean chit to Bhardwaj saying that Law Ministry was not involved with matters pertaining to CBI investigation. Bhardwaj received a shot in his arm as Quattrocchi denied of having any links with the Law Minister and offered full cooperation with CBI in this regard. But CBI has slammed Quattrocchi saying that "no criminal or accused can invite a prosecuting agency to question them."

   Law minister HR Bharadwaj had earlier said Britain had been pressing for clear evidence against the businessman as he had already won an extradition case in a Malaysian court as the investigating agency had not found any proof linking him to the Bofors case. A TV news channel meanwhile reported that Quattrocchi had already withdrawn nearly 200 million rupees (4.51 million dollar) from his accounts in London. The issue has caused a massive furore in the country with the opposition parties accusing the Congress of trying to shield the businessman, but it got some reprieve on Monday after the CBI said the government had no role in the entire matter. Meanwhile, hundreds of BJP workers took to the streets today, demanding the resignation of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, whose husband, the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was once accused of being involved in the case. BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley said that the Gandhi family has always had links with Quattrocchi. "Quattrocchi always had very influential political links. He had been a friend of the Gandhi family. His statement shows that the Congress is hesitant to accept this fact, but he has said that he is being victimized," Jaitley said.

   Meanwhile, Quattarocchi, who has nearly 5.7 million dollars in the account kept frozen since 2001, said that he was innocent and was being made a victim to politics against India's Gandhi family. India's biggest arms scandal ever, the Bofors bribery controversy played a major role in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi losing elections in 1989. Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1991, was cleared posthumously of any involvement in the 1.2 billion-dollar deal, which was signed when he was the Prime Minister. The Delhi Court had in 2004, also acquitted the London based Hinduja brothers of all charges in the 1986 sale of 155-mm howitzers to the Indian Army by the Swedish firm.

Back to Headlines                  Go To Top