The Hindu : CBI seeks Interpol help on Quattrocchi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 28, 2002

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CBI seeks Interpol help on Quattrocchi

NEW DELHI DEC. 27. Unable to locate the whereabouts of the controversial Italian businessman and an accused in the Bofors payoff case, Ottavio Quattrocchi, the Central Bureau of Investigation has approached Interpol for tracking him.

Quattrocchi left Kuala Lumpur for Italy a fortnight ago after successfully fighting against a case of extradition to India.

"We have received no information about Quattrocchi's whereabouts although we have got in touch with the Malaysian authorities to verify his port of disembarkation," the CBI director, P.C. Sharma, told PTI in an interview here.

He said the agency hoped that the order of Court of Appeal of Malaysia (Supreme Court) of impounding his passport had been complied with and that the authorities in Kuala Lumpur would try to find out his exact location.

Asked about media reports that Quattrocchi was in Italy, Sharma said ``we have also got in touch with our mission in Rome, who in turn, have contacted their counterparts in Italy to find out whether he was present there."

Simultaneously, the CBI has also contacted Interpol headquarters based in France for help in tracking down the Italian businessman. A Red Corner warrant is already pending against him.

To a question about the claim of Quattrocchi that he would be returning to Malaysia "as per plans", Mr. Sharma said, "the irony is that when he left India, he said the same thing. Now when the CBI secured relief from the highest court in Malaysia, we fear that he may repeat the history."

India went to the Court of Appeal after the High Court on December 13 turned down the plea for review of the Sessions Court verdict throwing out the extradition case, saying "the offences alleged to have been committed by Quattrocchi in India are open to doubt." Maintaining that they held the Malaysian judiciary in high esteem, the CBI Director regretted that "we were not given a proper hearing and the case was dismissed summarily and in a prejudged manner.

PTI

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