IS the CBI on the verge of questioning Sonia on Bofors? And more importantly, did the disclosure that the Quattrocchis were major beneficiaries of the Bofors kickbacks lead to her decision to join the Congress? According to well-placed sources in the agency, Ottavio Quattrocchi and wife Maria have a chargesheet coming their way in the Bofors scam.
As for quizzing Sonia, the CBI took up the issue when Arun Nehru,Rajiv Gandhi's school friend, harped on the Sonia-Quattrocchi connection while he was being interrogated. Some members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) suggested that Sonia's name must be included on its list. Mere questioning, they argued, would not necessarily mean she is guilty. Having done that, the agency is at a loss to locate an officer who will question Sonia, even if such a decision would necessarily mean political clearance.
On May 8, CBI director Joginder Singh said the chargesheet, currently being scrutinised by the agency's legal department, will be filed "soon". Agency sources say the chargesheet will be finalised this weekend and sent to the personnel department for clearance.
After amateurish attempts to extradite Quattrocchi from Malaysia failed in February, the agency claims it is better armed now. Immediately after the chargesheet is filed, the CBI will formally apply for the Italian businessman's extradition. "This time, we have a solid case," insists a CBI official. In the last attempt, the grounds cited by CBI officials to get him back were considered 'inadequate' by Malaysian authorities. Agency officials say that if they fail to extradite Quattrocchi this time, they may even seek his deportation, which does not need a formal bilateral agreement.
PRAMOD MAHAJAN
The Congress desperately needs leaders but not Sonia.She will turn out to be another Maneka Gandhi. Sonia has a language problem and a basic lack of understanding of India. Sonia is like the last straw for a drowning Congress.
All of which is bad news, as far as Sonia is concerned, because it leads to a host of questions. What is her connection with Quattrocchi, which dates back to her Italy days? And how did Quattrocchi, a fertiliser expert representing the interests of Italian multinational Snamprogetti, come to acquire such sweeping powers in a foreign country? To make things worse, Quattrocchi has quite unabashedly admitted his close relations with the Gandhis.
The scrutiny of Bofors papers from Switzerland reveal that Rs 24 crore was paid to Quattrocchi by the shady AE Services in 1986 as part of the kickbacks for the Howitzer guns. The money was deposited in a Swiss bank named by Quattrocchi. This, says the CBI, transpired a few days before the Defence Ministry awarded the contract to Bofors. The chargesheet also has details of Quattrocchi's deals with notorious Hong Kong-based hawala dealer Amir Bhai. "There is evidence that the formidable Italian also laundered money through Amir Bhai," says a source.
Well-placed agency sources say the first Bofors chargesheet is likely to concentrate on public servants, including former defence secretary S.K. Bhatnagar, the only person privy to every single meeting on the Bofors deal. Other names, like key Rajiv Gandhi aides Gopi Aurora and Sarla Grewal, have also come up.
Of the politicians, the SIT has suggested the chargesheeting of Arun Nehru but only if it is cleared by the CBI's legal department. The same applies to Gen. K. Sundarji, who cleared the contract. Look at it any way, almost everyone involved is a former Rajiv aide—Sonia's predicament is understandable.
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