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CBI itself must be investigated: Jaitley

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has said that if voted to power it will appoint a commission to investigate the Central Bureau of Investigation, which it described as a “master of cover-ups” and a “political tool in the hands of the government.”

BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley was on Tuesday reacting to a report that on the advice of the Attorney-General of India the CBI had withdrawn the Red Corner notice against Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Italian businessman accused in the Bofors bribery case.

In Gandhinagar, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani said — a press statement was also issued here — the kickbacks in the Bofors deal were deposited in Swiss banks and suggested the Congress could, therefore, not be trusted with the task of bringing back black money stashed away in those banks.

Mr. Jaitley said a BJP-led government would set up a commission to go into the political misuse of the CBI in high-profile cases involving Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh, Bahujan Samaj Party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, a former Congress Minister, Satish Sharma, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren and a host of other cases, including Bofors.

Mr. Jaitley recalled the “sins of omission and commission” during the tenure of several Congress governments — allowing Mr. Quattrocchi to escape from India after the Bofors scandal first surfaced; de-freezing of his London bank account; bungling of his deportation from Argentina and now withdrawal of the Red Corner notice.

He said the timing of this latest act was “significant” as it was a sort of a “gift” to the “citizen of a privileged country.” The reference was to Italy, the country of birth of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

He said the timing was also important for, the “Congress realises the United Progressive Alliance will not return to power and it needs to do this favour [to Mr. Quattrocchi] now,” Mr. Jaitley alleged.

When it was pointed out that acquittal for two accused, including the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi (who was assassinated by then), came during the Vajpayee government’s tenure, Mr. Jaitley said: “The Manmohan Singh government should have filed an appeal against the High Court acquittal.”

He pointed out that there was “time till July,” but did not give any reason for not filing an appeal before May 2004 when the Vajpayee government’s tenure ended. “Elections were on,” is what Mr. Jaitley added.

He did not respond to a question why the Vajpayee government failed to get extradition of Mr. Quattrocchi from Malaysia during its tenure, instead of blaming the UPA for a similar failure in Argentina.

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