'Q' extradition hearing on March 23

A court in El Dorado city in Misiones province has fixed March 23 for hearing the plea for extradition of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, accused in the Bofors payoff case, to India for facing trial.

A federal court in El Dorado, about 1500 km from Buenos Aires, which examined the 250-page documents submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation to Argentine Foreign Affairs department, fixed Friday next week for commencement of the trial, according to a communication sent to India.

India will be represented by Lilian Delgado, a prosecutor given by the Argentine government, during the extradition trial, while extradition expert Alejandro Freeland will be defending Quattrocchi.

The Argentine foreign office had found the documents submitted by the CBI intact. The agency had rushed a two-member CBI team -- Director of Prosecution S K Sharma and Superintendent of Police Keshav Mishra -- who submitted the extradition papers to the Argentine government on March one after their arrival in Buenos Aires.

The beginning of extradition trial against Quattrocchi comes almost 40 days after the Italian businessman was detained at Iguazo airport in Misiones province on February six when he was on his way to Brazil.

The CBI has also engaged a leading local law firm to assist it in the extradition proceedings. 

Freeland said that CBI's local lawyer for the case is a 'well known and excellent.' He has been in touch with him.

He has not had any communication from the court in El Dorado, which is now in possession of the extradition papers, but expects the pre-trial hearing of evidence to take place on March 22 and 23 in Misiones Province, he added.

At this hearing, the court will ask Quattrocchi whether he accepts extradition, which he will not, and then settle the date for the presentation of proof, which must occur within 15 days of the initial proceedings.

Freeland expected that the court proceedings in the province will be completed by the end of April at which point if the decision is appealed, the case will move to the Supreme Court in Buenos Aires.

He said it was likely that there will be two charges brought against his client at the upcoming hearing in El Dorado -- one of cheating and the other of conspiracy.    

He thought that the CBI will have dropped a number of the other charges brought against his client in Malaysia because of the rulings of that country's court and the decisions in New Delhi in 2004 and 2005.

Asked about how Quattrocchi was faring, Freeland said that his client is 'relaxed after finally being released by the media.'

"At this stage, Quattrocchi does not think it prudent to issue any statements on his case or the proceedings out of respect for the judicial system here in Argentina," he said.