New Delhi: A Delhi court Saturday decided to
hold the proceedings afresh on CBI`s plea to withdraw more
than two-decade-old Bofors pay-off case against Italian
businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja, who had
earlier reserved its order and deferred the pronouncement of
its verdict on eight occasions, decided to hear the argument
afresh as the trial court record, lying with the Supreme
Court, was received two days ago.
The court fixed September 9 for hearing the arguments
of the investigating agency and a lawyer who has filed the
application challenging CBI`s decision to close the case
against Quattrocchi.
During the brief hearing of around two minutes
Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra and the advocate,
opposing CBI plea, Ajay Agrawal were present in the court.
The court had earlier deferred the hearings on October
9, November 6 and 24 last year and March 31, April 17, May 15,
July 5 this year.
Quattrocchi, the sole surviving accused in the case
after the Delhi High Court quashed the charges on May 31,
2005, against other accused, has never appeared before any
court in the country.
The CBI had on October 3 filed a plea in the court
seeking withdrawal of case against Quattrocchi. The court had
since then deferred the hearing on the matter.
CBI had failed on two occasions in its attempt to get
Quattrocchi extradited -- first from Malaysia in 2003 and then
from Argentina in 2007.
In November last year, the agency had asked the
Interpol to take Quattrocchi`s name off the Red Corner notice
list.
PTI
