The Hindu : `Efforts on to secure Quattrocchi extradition'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 04, 2003

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`Efforts on to secure Quattrocchi extradition'

By Our Staff Correspondent

PATNA May 3. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was persevering with the legal process for the extradition of the Italian businessman accused in the Bofors scam, Ottavio Quattrocchi, from Malaysia, despite an adverse court ruling there, the investigating agency's Director, P.C. Sharma, said today. Mr. Sharma, on a two-day visit to review the agency's functioning in the State, said that the agency had not given up its efforts to make Mr. Quattrocchi stand trial in India. The court had not commented on the merits of the CBI's appeal, and hence the agency was examining the law under which it could appeal before an appropriate court.

He was also confident of securing the extradition of the underworld don, Abu Salem, accused in the Mumbai blasts, saying that Portugal was cooperating fully in the matter. Mr. Sharma declined to specify any timeframe on the ground that the decision had to be taken in Lisbon.

The CBI was trying to get back the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, but that would depend on the cooperation of the country of his residence. On the murder of the former Gujarat Minister, Haren Pandya, Mr. Sharma said that the CBI would first complete the investigation, arrest the culprits and gather evidence to prove the crime and only then would it go after those behind the crime. Having arrested the main killer and his associates, the CBI had good reasons to believe that it had recovered the weapon used in the crime but was awaiting the ballistic report.

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