New Delhi: The Supreme Court today sought
a response from CBI and External Affairs Ministry on the plea
of a Brazil-born British resident, a key accused in the
multi-crore rupee urea scam allegedly involving several
influential persons, challenging his continued "detention".
Engenia Teles Pinto, wife of the accused A E Pinto, in
her petition pleaded her 63-year old husband was suffering
from cancer and paralysis, needed medicare but has been
languishing in the country as he could not furnish the Rs 40
lakh bank guarantee ordered earlier by the Delhi High Court
to enable him leave the country.
While being bitter that the trial has been on for over
12 years still at the Special CBI judge`s court, the wife
pleaded that even assuming he was convicted her husband would
have served the maximum sentence of seven years and should
have been back in the UK by this time.
Refusal of Indian courts to permit him leave for the
UK was violation of Article 21 (liberty) and the extradition
treaty under which he was extradited to India in August 2000,
she claimed.
According to CBI, under the alleged conspiracy, prime
accused B. Sanjeeva Rao, nephew of then prime minister P.V.
Narasimha Rao, and Sambasiva Rao, the Indian agent of Turkish
firm Karsan Ltd, brokered a fake contract between National
Fertilisers Limited and Karsan for the supply of two lakh
tonnes of urea worth Rs 133 crore in 1995. A E Pinto was also
involved in brokering the fradulent contract, CBI had
alleged.
Bureau Report
