Press statement made by Shri Arun Jaitley, on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party

The Supreme Court on 16th January 2006 had directed the Government of India and the CBI to endeavor to maintain status quo ante in relation to Quattrocchi’s London Account.

The UPA Government has decided to defy the Rule of Law. The Government has decided to defy public opinion, defy the norms of ethics and morality. The Government has now decided to defy even the direction of the Supreme Court.

The response of the CBI and the Government is far from making any effort to make an honest effort to trace out the source of Quattrocchi’s funds and get the Accounts refrozen. The Response is as under: -

    *   The CBI on 16th January itself announced that it had no evidence against Quattraocchi to link their accounts to the Bofors money.
    *  The Defence Minister Sh. Pranab Mukerjee has announced that the Supreme Court order is incapable of compliance. This is an onslaught even on the Judicial Directions.

News channels and Newspapers have now published and telecast reports establishing that the British authorities were not voluntarily defreezing the Account but did so on account of the Indian Request. The E-mail from the Crown Prosecutor Service to the CBI establishes that the CPS was told that there is ‘No evidence in the case against Quattrocchi.’ The Quattrocchi-friendly opinion of Shri Kalyan P. Phatak, Additional Solicitor General opined that there is virtually No case against Quattrocchi. The opinion is fictional. What happened to the pending Charge sheet against him?

The Additional Solicitor General was expected to give an opinion whether an appeal should be filed against the judgement holding that some documents sent by the Swiss authorities were properly authenticated or not. The ASG gives an opinion that the case against Quattrocchi is also over. A note on basis of this opinion is sent to the CPS. The CPS now confirms that the defreezing of Accounts is only on basis of the Government’s request that the case against Quattrocchi’s is over.

The government strategy is to have an acquittal of Quattrocchi without Trial. A trial will be embarrassing. An acquittal of Quattrocchi will be a vindication of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.