Raking up the Bofors issue, the BJP today charged Law Minister H R Bhardwaj with “trying to scuttle” investigation in the case by saying there was no link between the Bofors pay offs and the money in two British accounts of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi. The party asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to tell the nation whether it was done with his concurrence. “The minister’s action has exposed the complete lack of ethics and morality of the UPA government. The Law Minister has acted without the authority of the law. He has tried to scuttle the investigations as the Bofors chargesheet against Quattrocchi is still pending”, party general secretary and spokesman Arun Jaitley told reporters. “Was this act of tinkering with the judicial process and helping a person who has caused wrongful loss to the Government of India done with the knowledge and concurrence of the Prime Minister. The country expects a straightforward answer,” Jaitley said. “The close proximity of Quattrocchi with the Gandhi family is well-known. His political clout helped his company immensely”, Jaitley alleged. Meanwhile, Supreme Court lawyer Ajay Agarwal moved a writ petition today contending that his fears about a “total cover up” of the case have come true with the move to defreeze Quattrocchi’s accounts. The petition arrays Bhardwaj as a respondent, besides the CBI through its director, the Government through the Cabinet Secretary and the Additional Solicitor General B Dutta himself who had on December 22 appeared in London for the CBI to state that Quattrocchi’s bank accounts could be unfrozen. Incidentally, on the same day, December 22, the trial court in Delhi had asked the CBI to file a status report on Quattrocchi, including his bank accounts and the process of extradition. Agarwal’s petition stated that Quattrocchi’s name is in the CBI wanted list and consequently a red corner notice exist against him. The CBI made a statement before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate trying the offences against Quattrochi that the agency was “trying” to secure his presence before the court in India. This case is now coming for further hearings on March 31. The trial against Quattrocchi is going on though the Delhi High Court, in a judgment last year, cleared the former prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi and the three Hinduja brothers, Srichand, Prakashchand and Harichand. Quattrocchi move questionable: CPM CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat met Law Minister H R Bhardwaj this evening to convey the party view to him. The CPM said the legal opinion given by the Government about Quattrocchi was questionable. “Quattrocchi is still chargesheeted in the Bofors case and he has not cooperated and appeared in court so far for the framing of charges. The CBI has stated that the efforts to bring Quattrocchi to court would continue and the Interpol red alert has not been revoked. In such a situation, it is questionable why such legal opinion about the bank accounts has been conveyed to the British authorities. The Government has to explain why and how this happened,’’ the CPM politburo stated. Addl Solicitor General was authorised to travel: Congress Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said that Additional Solicitor General was authorised to travel to England to respond to queries from British Crown Prosecution. He conveyed the record which included an earlier opinion of ASG K P Pathak and CBI director P C Sharma that there was no proof and matter on the file. Apart from conveying this position, there was no additional value judgment given by the Government to Crown Prosecution. Whether to freeze or not freeze the bank accounts is their own decision. The ASG only furnished the record of the case.’’
