Date:25/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/25/stories/2007022506801000.htm

National

Centre must fulfil legalities: Jayalalithaa

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: General secretary of the AIADMK Jayalalithaa on Saturday urged the Government of India to fulfil the legal formalities as required under the Argentine Extradition Act to bring Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, an accused in the Bofors payoffs case, to India.

She said that after the arrest of Quattrocchi on February 6, only 10 days were now left to bring him to India, as in Argentina, a person wanted by another nation could be kept in custody for 30 days only. "Knowingly and deliberately time is being lost."

"Despite time running out, till this minute, neither the Centre nor the CBI has lifted a finger nor moved an inch to make any formal request to the Argentinian Government to extradite him... ," she said.

The Prime Minister and the Ministers for Home, External Affairs and Law were responsible to the nation in this context, she said. "The nation expects them to act without fear or favour in this issue." She urged the Central Government "to allow the law to take its course."

"The general public apprehend that Mr. Quattrocchi may not be extradited and brought back to India at all, and that yet another drama will be enacted to let him escape, as has happened on so many earlier occasions," she said.