NEW DELHI: The Indian federal government is seeking British cooperation in the investigation into the Bofors case and a letter rogatory will be dispatched to London soon it was learnt Wednesday.
A CBI team comprising the joint directors K Madhavan and M D Sharma which visited Britain last week had elaborate discussions with home and law department officials in London on the scope of cooperation that could be extended to India on the gun deal probe.
Bofor case accused including A.E-services a front company are based in U.K.
Sources said the Geneva cantonal court verdict on transfer of Swiss bank documents relating to five frozen accounts to India was likely to be delayed as the Swiss court had passed an interim order saying it would await the Indian supreme court verdict on the validity as the Swiss court had passed an interim order saying it would await the Indian supreme court verdict on the validity of the first information report in the Bofors case.
The sources said it would all depend on the order of the Supreme Court which has already stayed proceedings before the Delhi high court.
Justice M K Chawla before retiring as a high court judge had issued notices to CBI and the union government last month while dismissing public interest litigation by a lawyer seeking quashing of Bofors FIR.
In his order Justice Chawla had questioned the authority of special judge Delhi to issue letters rogatory to various countries and also power of CBI to investigate the gun deal case He had pointed out six illegalities committed in this regard.
The sources said the Geneva cantonal court verdict was appealable in the Swiss federal court and this would delay any verdict on transfer of Swiss bank papers by several months.
They said the CBI has also made a request for freezing of a Swiss bank account relating to Colbar Investment owned by a Jordanian which had allegedly received a part of 7.3 million US dollars paid by Bofors to A E services
The CBI plea to the Swedish authorities to reopen the Howtizer deal probe in Stockholm is also under active consideration and the Swedish prosecutor Mr Lars Ringberg is likely to come out with a decision soon the sources said.
The CBI team which also visited Stockholm besides Geneva and London had sought Swedish cooperation on receiving information on the kickbacks mystery from Bofors and the Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken through which the Swedish gun company had allegedly made payments into secret Swiss bank accounts
Article extracted from this publication >> February 8, 1991
