Centre Decides to Withdraw Case against Quattrocchi
The central government has told the Supreme Court that it has taken a decision to withdraw case against Italian Businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi in multi-crore Bofors case.
Gopal Subramanium, Solicitor General, told a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishanan that all attempts to seek extradition of Quattrocchi, an accused in the case relating to payment of Rs 64 crore as commission in the Howitzer deal, have fallen flat.
Putting the other reason for the decision, he said that CBI has decided to close the case by also taking into account Delhi High Court ruling of 2004 which held that no case of corruption was made out in the Bofors deal.
After taking all the facts of the case into account the government came to the decision, he said.
The Solicitor General’s statement in the court came under immediate attack from the BJP and the lawyer who is pursuing the Bofors case in the Supreme Court while the Congress Party said that after all the case has to come to a closure.
