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This is an archive article published on December 21, 1999

Win Chadha wants warrants recalled

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 20: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) placed the final set of Swiss bank papers relating to the Bofors gun dea...

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NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 20: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) placed the final set of Swiss bank papers relating to the Bofors gun deal in the designated court here today, even as Dubai-based Indian businessman Win Chadha challenged the non-bailable warrants (NBWs) issued against him.

Chadha, accused of receiving over $ 27 million as kickbacks in the Bofors gun deal, expressed his willingness to come to India to face trial in the case and moved an application in the court to recall the NBWs.

Chadha’s counsel in an application alleged that the CBI had misrepresented the facts about Chadha’s alleged refusal to answer the summons on December 14.

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Chadha has prayed to the court to issue the summons, to be served as per the procedure.

Chadha’s application, as well as the CBI’s application to retain the Swiss bank papers, will be heard on January 3, 2000.

Chadha’s counsel Ritu Singh Mann said that Chadha “is ready and willing to come to India to face trial”. The counsel said that Chadha was neither contacted by the CBI nor was any message left for him regarding the summons issued by the court. She added that the issuance of the arrest warrants had caused him tremendous “mental agony” and “damage to his reputation”.

Chadha has asked the court to direct the CBI not to arrest him on his arrival in India and has sought medical treatment of his choice.

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Meanwhile, the third and final set of the documents — numbering D-1 to D-71 — and a letter dated August 31, 1999 from a Geneva court, directing the Swiss Federal Office at Berne to give the papers to the Indian agency, were brought to the court by the CBI officials.

The documents, brought to Delhi, were presented in a sealed cover before District Judge M A Khan, in the absence of the designated judge, Ajit Bharihoke. The District Judge asked the CBI to wait till the court holidays were over and then put up the application before the judge concerned.

The investigating agency moved an application seeking permission to retain the papers to study them and ascertain whether further investigation was necessary or not.

The court, however, retained the documents and said, “There is no urgency and the application be put up before special Judge Bharihoke on January 3, 2000.” CBI sources said scrutiny of these documents was expected to take about two weeks and additional chargesheets would be filed depending on what they reveal.

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