Nothing new in ITAT`s ruling in Bofors case: CBI tells Court

New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) India's premier investigative
agency, CBI on Tuesday pleaded before a Delhi court that the
ruling of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in Bofors pay offs
case is "nothing new" and its application for withdrawing the
proceedings against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi
should be allowed.
Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra, appearing
for CBI, said that the findings of ITAT had been mentioned in
a chargesheet filed by it in the over two-decade-old Bofors
case.
"I am not disputing what the tribunal has said. That
is the case of prosecutor (CBI) also and it is mentioned in
the chargesheet. There is nothing new," Malhotra told Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav.
He further said that the court should decide CBI's
plea for withdrawing the case without going into its merits
and that it should only consider whether the application has
been filed bonafide or not.
"There is no need for the court to go into the merits
of the case. The court should look only whether there is a
bonafide intention on the part of CBI or not. Merits has no
relevance in this case," he said.
The Swedish firm AB Bofors is accused of paying
bribes to secure the sale of the 400 155 mm field guns to the
Indian Army.
The ASG, at the beginning of the proceedings, pleaded
for withdrawal of proceedings against 70-year-old Quattrocchi,
saying it has got no fresh instructions from the government in
the wake of the recent ITAT order.
As soon as proceeding began, Supreme Court advocate
Ajay Agarwal, who has challenged the CBI move, contended that
the matter be re-looked into in view of the ITAT's order.
Yadav then asked Malhotra whether it has received
any fresh instructions on the issue.
Malhotra replied that no fresh instructions have been
given. (MORE) PTI