‘I-T tribunal’s order will not reopen Bofors case’

NEW DELHI: Former Bofors investigators and government sources are convinced that the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal order may not change the disappointing course of CBI’s criminal investigation into the kickbacks in the controversial arms deal.

The CBI spent considerable time and money investigating the trail of commission paid by the Swedish arms manufacturer for contract to supply artillery guns to the Indian Army in the mid-80 s. Among those accused in the bribery scandal were then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others .
The CBI case fell through at several stages as political manipulation and official lethargy crippled the investigations into the political scandal that abruptly turned the political tide against Rajiv Gandhi in the late 80s.

The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal said in its order on December 31 that it was convinced that both Win Chadha and Ottavio Quattrocchi, an Italian businessman who was close to the Gandhi family, received commission from Bofors.

“You know the political situation, there would be no change,” a senior source with first hand knowledge of the investigations into Bofors scandal said. In recent years the CBI filed a closure report with the trial court, did not go in appeal against high court orders absolving many accused, and the government in a bizarre twist asked the UK authorities to defreeze accounts of Quattrocchi.

“CBI is not an autonomous body. It is dependent on the government. Unless you give constitutional status to CBI in the lines of Election Commission etc, the problem will continue,” former CBI chief Joginder Singh said. He pointed out that the tribunals order is based significantly on CBI’s findings.

A former CBI officer, who had been part of Bofors investigations for sometime, said he does not expect the tribunal order to make any impact on the course of the criminal investigations into the scandal. “The corruption case will never be reopened. You know the government of the day,” he said, pointing finger at the Congress-led UPA government.