Quattrocchi released in Argentina

Ottavio Quattrocchi who was detained by the Argentinean authorities on February 6 on the basis of an Interpol Red Corner alert, has been released. However, he has been asked not to leave the country.

Quattrocchi, who is wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation, for his alleged role in the Bofors gun scandal.

The release with make it difficult for the CBI to secure his extradition to India.

However, CBI officials while admitting in private conversation that Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi has been released on bail by an Argentine court, no one is willing to go on record feaing the wrath of the Supreme Court which had issued notices to the central government and CBI for keeping the arrest of Quattrocchi under wraps.

CBI Director Vijay Shankar could not be contacted on phone and the media persons were told that he is likely to return to office shortly. Special director M L Sharma, who is expected to head the CBI team to Argentina, refused to come on line. "He has left office for home," an officer of Sharma's office told rediff.com.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy, official spokesman for Bhartiya Janata Party, accused the Union government of colluding with Quattrocchi and ensuring that he is released on bail. "This government is cheating the people of Indiaa. I would say it is betrayal of the Indian masses. The prime minister, the home minister and the external affairsm minister are all answerable to the people. They had taken oath to protect the Constitution and not to protect a criminal," Rudy said.

Congress leaders were not willing to comment on the development.

A team of CBI officials would leave for Argentina on Tuesday night to plead their case for extradition of Quattrocchi to India to stand trial.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee met Law Minister H R Bhardwaj, apparently to discuss the legal recourse on the issue. The two met for over half an hour and are understood to have deliberated on the Quattrocchi issue, sources said.

Mukherjee's meeting with Bhardwaj came amid preparations by the External Affairs Ministry to send a formal request to Argentina to extradite Quattrocchi.

The request is likely to be carried by the CBI team that will travel to Argentina on Wednesday to persuade the authorities there to send Quattrocchi to India to face trial in the 1986 case.

Indian Ambassador to Argentina Pramatesh Rath had a meeting with Argentinian Foreign Ministry officials on Monday in connection with the issue.

(With PTI Inputs)