NEW DELHI, Apr 25:
The CBI today said it is not going to have a re-look in the 23-year-old Bofors payoffs case in the wake of claims made by former Swedish police chief Sten Lindstrom in a media interview.
CBI sources ruled out any such possibility, saying it has conducted a comprehensive probe of the matter and filed its charge sheet in the case.
On the allegations by Lindstrom, who had headed the probe in Sweden, that the CBI did not attempt to meet him, agency sources said it does not procure information from foreign investigators directly through personal meetings and the proper channel of getting probe details is judicial requests which were sent to Sweden in connection with the Bofors case.
They said relevant information was sought from Sweden through Letters Rogatory issued by Indian courts which were complied with.
On the allegations that name of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was planted by the agency officials in media in connection with the case, CBI sources said since his name was neither part of FIR nor charge sheet, there was no question of giving any such information to media.
CBI sources said as far as allegations of protecting Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, who is alleged to have received payoff in the case, is concerned, the agency had tried its best to extradite him and even gone to Malayasia and Argentina for the purpose but could not succeed.
Last year in March, a Delhi court had allowed a CBI plea seeking withdrawal of prosecution against the elusive Quattrocchi in the two-decade-old Bofors payoff case.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court on February 4, 2004 had quashed all charges under Prevention of Corruption Act and bribery against Europe-based Hinduja brothers — S P Hinduja, G P Hinduja and P P Hinduja. The High Court had also given clean chit to Rajiv Gandhi and S K Bhatnagar who were dead. (PTI)
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