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SC to hear case against Quattrocchi on March 26

The Supreme Court today fixed March 26 for hearing of a petition filed by the CBI seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, accused of receiving huge kickbacks in the multi-crore Bofors gun deal case.

The hearing was fixed by a division bench comprising Justices G T Nanavati and S N Phukan on the request of additional solicitor general C S Vaidyanathan appearing for the CBI.

Quattrocchi is accused of not honouring his assurance to the court that he would appear before the trial court pursuant to the arrest warrant already issued against him if protected from being arrested.

It was stated in the petition that the apex court had allowed him to come to India to appear before the trial court and be interrogated by the CBI on a specific undertaking given by his senior counsel that Quattrocchi would appear before the trial court if he was not arrested by the CBI.

However, within two days of the court's order, Quattrocchi made a statement from Kuala Lumpur saying his willingness to appear before the trial court here was wrongly conveyed to the apex court.

''A miscommunication between me and my senior counsel made him suggest to the apex court that I was ready to go to India to be interrogated in the Bofors case,'' he said in his statement.

Quattrocchi added in his statement that he was willing to cooperate with the CBI though he had nothing to do with Bofors.

UNI

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