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The designated Central Bureau of Investigation court Monday extended the non-bailable warrant issued against Kuala Lumpur-based Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi and directed the CBI to speed up extradition proceedings in the Malaysian court to start trial in the Bofors pay-off case.
Newly appointed special judge R L Chugh also directed the CBI to hand over certain legible documents to the counsel of the Hinduja brothers and Bofors, now renamed Kartongen Kemi Och Farvaltning AB.
Chugh adjourned the proceedings till March 30, with a direction that the case file be sent to the high court, which is scheduled to hear the Hindujas' plea seeking permission to leave the country on March 23.
Chugh dealt with the sensitive case for the first time after the transfer of Ajit Bharihoke early this month. The Europe-based Hinduja brothers -- Srichand, Prakashchand and Gopichand - were present in court with a battery of lawyers, including senior counsel Rajinder Singh, Arvind Nigam and Ujjal Singh Rana.
The CBI submitted before the court that the extradition proceedings against Quattrocchi in the Malaysian court would take more time.
The Hindujas have been pleading that they had been falsely implicated in the case by the CBI. The money paid to them by Bofors had nothing to do with the gun deal, their counsel had earlier argued.
The other accused in the case include Quattrocchi, former Bofors agent Win Chadha, former defence secretary S K Bhatnagar, former Bofors chief Martin Ardbo and Bofors. Chadha and Bhatnagar earlier furnished bonds and were directed not to leave the country without the court's permission.
Former prime minister, the late Rajiv Gandhi, during whose tenure the 155 mm howitzer gun deal was signed, was named in the first chargesheet as ''accused not sent up for trial''.
The Hinduja brothers, who were named as accused in the second chargesheet, arrived in the capital on January 17, after the CBI withdrew a look-out notice issued against them.
UNI
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