Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily has backed the Centre’s decision to drop the case against Ottavio Quattrocchi admitting that there was nothing left to do in the case.
Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Italian businessman, is the main accused in the Bofors gun purchase scam.
Moily pleaded helplessness in the investigation and defended the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) positive role
Speaking to a private news channel Moily said: "This case is going on since long. If he could be brought back and any conviction could be held then the case could be pursued with a positive result. But ultimately nothing positive was found.”
“In Feb 2004 itself the Delhi High Court said it is a waste of time. Thereafter the case was handed over to the CBI, and they have been playing a positive role for 22 years now. We must have spent more money in the case than the Bofors gun itself,” Moily added.
On Tuesday, the CBI decided to withdraw all cases registered against Quattrocchi in the Bofors gun purchase scam.
“We want to close the matter against Bofors accused Ottavio Quattrocchi,” said the CBI.
Earlier, the Centre had informed the Supreme Court that they want to withdraw all cases against Quattrocchi.
Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium told the court that the CBI has failed to extradite Quattrocchi and that the Delhi High Court has held that there is no case under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the Bofors matter.
The Supreme Court will hear the matter
For your information, I am giving the chronological cover perpetrated by the government of the Bofor's payment
Apr 16, 1987: Alleged payoffs in the Bofors deal surfaces in a broadcast of Swedish Radio.
Jan 22, 1990: FIR in the Bofors case registered by CBI.
1997: Swiss banks release some 500 documents after years of legal wrangling. CBI files a case against Ottavio Quattrocchi, arms dealer Win Chadha, also naming Rajiv Gandhi, defence secretary S K Bhatnagar and number of others.
Oct 22, 1999: CBI files first chargesheet in the case naming Chadha, Quattorocchi, Bhatnagar, former Bofors Chief Martin Ardbo and Bofors Company.
Oct 9, 2000: CBI files supplementary chargesheet naming Hinduja brothers -- Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand as accused.
2003: Two British Bank accounts of alleged middleman Ottavio Quattrocchi is frozen by a high court order on request of the government.
Feb 4, 2004: Delhi High Court gives clean chit to Rajiv Gandhi. Quashes charges under Prevention of Corruption Act.
May 31, 2005: Delhi High court quashes charges against British businessmen, Hinduja brothers -- Shrichand, Gopichand and Prakash.
Dec, 2005: B Datta, the then Additional Solicitor General requests the British Government that two British bank accounts of Quattrocchi be de-frozen on the grounds of insufficient evidence to link these accounts to the Bofors payoff.
Jan 16, 2006: Supreme Court directs the Indian government to ensure that Quattrocchi does not withdraw money from the two bank accounts in London.
Jan 16, 2006: CBI claims in an affidavit filed before the Supreme court that they were still pursuing extradition orders for Quattrocchi.
Jan 23, 2006: CBI admits that around Rs 21 crore, about USD 4.6 million, in the two accounts have already been withdrawn.
Feb 6, 2007: Quattrocchi detained in Argentina but the news of his detention released by CBI only on February 9.
Feb 7, 2007: Interpol informs CBI about Quattrocchi's detention.
Feb 13, 2007: CBI, responding to the Supreme Court on a matter relating to money withdrawn by Quattrocchi, does not mention the fact of his detention. CBI admits later that it had the information at that time.
Feb 23, 2007: CBI releases a statement about Quattrocchi's arrest in Argentina.
Feb 26, 2007: Quattrocchi released on bail.
Mar 2, 2007: CBI sends a two-member team – Director Prosecution S K Sharma and Superintendent of Police Keshav Mishra -- to assist in fighting the extradition case.
Mar 7, 2007: The CBI submits 250-page plea for extradition of Quattrocchi to the Argentinian Foreign Office.
Mar 23, 2007: The hearing of the plea for Quattrocchi's extradition to India began in the Argentinian court.
Jun 4, 2007: The two-member team goes again to give final touches ahead of the extradition trial of Quattrocchi.
Jun 7, 2007: Extradition trial begins in El Dorado
Jun 8, 2007: The court in El Dorado rejects India's extradition request of Quattrocchi.
October, 2008: Attorney General Milon Banerjee opines that CBI can withdraw Red Corner Notice against Quattrocchi.
Nov 25, 2008: Red Corner Notice against Quattrocchi withdrawn.
Apr 30, 2009: CBI seeks time from trial court to decide future course of action against Quattrocchi.
Sep 8, 2009: CBI seeks two weeks time from trial court for exploring options against Quattrocchi after withdrawal of Red Corner Notice.
Sep 29, 2009: Centre tells Supreme Court about its decision to withdraw case against Quattrocchi.
The government is trying to draw the curtains on a black chapter in its history.
An otherwise honest man, Rajiv Gandhi, brought infamy on his name by trying to oblige his wife's countryman, Quattorocchi.
If Rajiv Gandhi had been the corrupt Young Turk, Chandrashekhar, he would have said that everybody pays money for these deals and would have collected all the money in sacks and built a 100 point dispensing petrol pump in his home town.
However, being new to the game, he said no money had been paid, and, that was his undoing.
Bribery was paid, money was transferred but the government could not locate or get sufficient evidence against either Win Chadda or Quattorocchi to get them convicted since they did not want to find it.
They used all the means at their disposal to stop the investigations at each and every stage, be it in Sweden, or Switzerland or in India.
The congress, whenever it was in the government did shadow boxing in trying to give an impression that it was taking action when all the time it was doing otherwise.
This will go down in the history of the congress as a black day.
Even two hundred years from now, people will still recollect through history books how the congress jettisoned all efforts to bring the culprits to book.
Don't people still remember Jallianwallah Bagh massacre and Indira's Emergency.
Similarly, Rajiv Gandhi will be remembered for two things.
1) For having brought Sam Pitroda and ushering in the modern Telecom Era and
2) The corruption related to the Bofor's Gun and Sonia Gandhi's association with her countrymen to loot India.
Only recently, Prime Minister,Manmohan Singh, President,Pratibha Patel and Chief Justice of Supreme Court K G Balakrishnan had asked for action against corruption.
This is the first piece of action from their government.
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