Date:09/10/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/10/09/stories/2002100904210101.htm

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'Abu Salem will not be let off the hook'

By Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI OCT. 8. Abu Salem, one of the key accused in the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case, arrested in Lisbon last month, would be handed over to India once the case against him for staying in Portugal on forged travel documents is decided by the appropriate court.

``Things are certainly looking positive. The CBI team which has returned from Portugal has told me that authorities in Lisbon are cooperating with us and have assured that Abu Salem will remain under detention. There is no question of Salem being let off the hook by the Portuguese authorities,'' the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, told The Hindu tonight.

After a detailed briefing by the top officials of the CBI and the External Affairs Ministry that lasted for nearly 90 minutes, Mr. Advani said that a request for extradition of Abu Salem could also be made by New Delhi in due course. The briefing was also attended by the Attorney-General, Soli Sorabjee, the CBI Director, P.C. Sharma, and the Additional Director, Vijay Shankar who had gone to Lisbon, heading the three-member CBI team.

He said the U.S. investigating agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has also cooperated with the Central Bureau of Investigation in exchange for information regarding Salem and has not made any move that could hinder Salem being handed over to India.

Though there is no extradition treaty between Portugal and India, Mr. Advani said that Lisbon's plea for completing the probe of their own case against Salem was ``understandable.''

He said the legal procedure could take up some time but added: ``I am fully satisfied with the level of cooperation with the concerned authorities in Lisbon. Our team has been able to lay the ground for pursuing the case on a strong wicket.''

The CBI chief, Mr. Sharma, said the agency has appointed a ``very senior and prominent'' attorney in Lisbon to pursue the agency's case for bringing Salem over to India. At this stage, he ruled out sending another CBI team to Lisbon to pursue the case.

Salem, a former associate of Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested in Lisbon outside his apartment on September 18 following a Red Corner Alert notice by Interpol. His accomplice, Monica Bedi, a Bollywood starlet, is also under detention in a separate jail.