CBI team in Switzerland on Bofors case mission

NEW DELHI, JUNE 4: A high-powered CBI team led by director R K Raghvan left for Switzerland on Thursday to try and get the final document...

NEW DELHI, JUNE 4: A high-powered CBI team led by director R K Raghvan left for Switzerland on Thursday to try and get the final documents relating to alleged kickbacks in the Rs 1437 crore Bofors gun deal.

The team was accompanied by special director and Bofors case incharge P C Sharma and Superintendent of Police G R Gehrotra.

Raghvan8217;s visit is significant as the investigation agency now expects to get the documents related to the sixth account into which bribe money was allegedly paid 8212; to unknown beneficiaries 8212; by A B Bofors of Sweden to influence the awarding of the Rs 1437 crore gun contract in 1986.

The CBI has already received documents relating to five other accounts in which payments were found to have been made to Win Chadha, Ottavio Quattrochhi and their family members.

However, the documents did not substantiate a long-held view that money had been paid to public servants in India. The CBI therefore sent Letters Rogatory in 1997 to Panama, Luxembourg and other tax-haven countries to find out the actual beneficiaries.

Before the details could be received from these countries, the CBI sought permission to prosecute S K Bhatnagar, Win Chadha, the Quattrocchis and several others. It also filed a separate case against Madhavsinh Solanki who was external affairs minister in 1992, for creating 8220;hurdles8221; in the government8217;s investigation.

The government finally permitted the CBI to prosecute them in April. But the agency delayed filing of chargesheets in the special court, believing it would thwart efforts to acquire the papers relating to the sixth account.

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One of the conditions imposed by the Swiss courts while turning over the documents to the CBI was that they be used only for the purposes for which they were being handed over.

Since the documents of five accounts did not make out a case for the prosecution of any public servants for bribery, it was decided that the CBI should wait for the papers relating to the sixth account, and hence the CBI director8217;s presence in the team heading for Switzerland.