CBI opposes plea challenging withdrawal of Bofors cases
New Delhi:
The Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) on Friday opposed a plea filed by a Delhi based advocate who objected to
the withdrawal of cases against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi in connection
with the Bofors pay off case. A public prosecutor argued that a private party
had no locus standi in the matter. In its submission before Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate Kaveri Baweja,the CBI argued that publicity and politics have no role
to play in such matters and requested the court to reject the private party's
plea against the CBI's move to close the case. Delhi based advocate Ajay Agrawal
had challenged the CBI's move, arguing in his petition that the agency was trying
to close a politically sensitive case despite possessing sufficient evidence against
69-year-old Quattrocchi. Earlier, CBI prosecutor U S Prasad had filed an application
before the court seeking withdrawal of all cases against Quattrocchi on grounds
that continuance of his prosecution was be unjustified. The CBI had said it had
arrived at this conclusion after its failure to get Quattrochhi extradited twice
from Malaysia and Argentina to face trial. The CBI claimed that the plea to withdraw
the case was filed in good faith and in public interest. Quattrocchi is the sole
surviving accused in the two-decade-old case after the Delhi High Court quashed
the charges against other accused on May 31, 2005.
