Court asks Hindujas to give details of Bofors payment

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI, MARCH 9. The Delhi High Court today asked the Hinduja brothers, accused in the Rs. 64-crore Bofors payoffs case, to furnish on oath details of money they received from the company.

Mr. Justice S.K. Aggarwal, who had on February 26 reserved orders on the applications filed by the brothers seeking permission to leave India, gave this direction holding ``it will be helpful to know about the status of the money while deciding the petition''.

The judge granted Mr. S.P. Hinduja, Mr. G.P. Hinduja and Mr. P.P. Hinduja time till March 12 to file the affidavit giving details of their movable and immovable assets in India and posted the case to March 16. He asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file its reply whether the case insofar as the brothers were concerned could be split up.

During the hearing, counsel for the brothers had told the court that the amount received by them from Bofors, though not related to the gun deal, had been kept separately and invested in the various group companies. The amount had not been transferred to anyone.

It was contended that as the Hindujas had invested over Rs. 10,000 crores in India, there was no justification for the CBI apprehending that they might not return to the country to face the trial.

Counsel argued that framing of charges would be delayed as extradition proceedings against the other accused, Italian businessman, Mr. Ottavio Quattrocchi, was still pending with the Malaysian Government and a red alert notice in respect of the former Bofors president, Mr. Martin Ardbo, was also pending with Interpol. When the judge wanted affidavits from the brothers, the senior counsel Mr. Kapil Sibal said it was for the CBI to furnish the relevant documents as also the letter written by a chartered accountant to the Swiss investigating agency and handed over to the CBI by the brothers.

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