BJP links Quattrocchi issue with money in tax havens

Giving a fresh twist to the controversy over Ottavio Quattrocchi being dropped from the global list of the wanted fugitives, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today alleged that the Italian businessman was being helped to access his money stashed away in tax havens.

“By making the CBI drop the ‘red corner’ notice against Quattrocchi, the Indian government has facilitated his travel across the world so that he could use the money, which he has stashed away in tax havens,” BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said.

Quattrocchi is alleged to be linked with kickbacks in the Bofors gun deal.

Jaitley’s remark is apparently a ploy by the BJP to link two key issues — the Bofors gun deal and the UPA government being soft on recovering India’s money from tax havens. The BJP has made these twin key issues of its campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP leader wondered why the government of India should be worried over the red corner notice coming in the way of Quattrocchi’s unhampered travel. “How is the government concerned if he (Quattrocchi) is facing problems?”

Meanwhile, the party today attacked attorney general Milon Banerji and other top legal hands of the government for letting Quattrocchi off the hook of Indian law. Bureaucrats are not generally targeted for political attacks, no matter how grave the provocation.

Referring to Banerji’s opinion in favour of the red corner notice being dropped against the Italian businessman, BJP General Secretary Ravishankar Prasad said “this was contrary to the Intepol chief’s position”. The Interpol chief had reportedly said that the red corner notice against Quattrocchi should stay, notwithstanding an Argentinian court rejecting India’s case for his extradition.