Let home ministry first decide on Qattrocchi extradition: Krishna

NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Friday said his ministry was ready to process a request for extradition of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi after the home ministry decides on the issue.

The issue of extradition is a decision which is taken by the concerned ministry. Only when a request is made after a decision is arrived at by the (home) ministry, it is routed through the ministry of external affairs for extradition, Krishna told reporters when asked about the government’s stand on a fresh extradition plea for extraditing Quattrocchi, one of the alleged recipients of bribes from Sweden’s Bofors company.

So, as and when things happen, we are willing to process it, he said.

A local court Thursday had upheld the CBI plea that the tax notice served on Quattrocchi was not linked with the criminal aspect of the Bofors kickbacks scam.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Vinod Yadav had dismissed an application asking the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the central government to state whether there was any change in their stand seeking closure of criminal cases against Quattrocchi.

The ruling came three days after the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal ruled that Quattrocchi and his Indian partner Win Chadha did take commissions of over Rs.412 million in the 1986 Bofors gun deal.