New Delhi, August 20
The CBI was today directed by the Supreme Court to place before it the order of an Argentina court rejecting extradition of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, an accused in the Bofors gun deal case.

Since this order was subject matter of the CBI appeal before the Argentina Supreme Court, from where it was withdrawn dramatically last week by a lawyer hired by the CBI there as a special prosecutor, a Bench, headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan sought to put it on record within four weeks.

After the withdrawal of the CBI appeal from the Argentina Supreme Court, the authorities in that country had no option but to let Quattrocchi go scot free on August 15.

This was brought before the Supreme Court in an application by advocate Ajay Agrawal, who had filed a PIL on CBI’s failure to file appeal in Bofors case against two verdicts of the Delhi High Court, letting Quattrocchi to withdraw Rs 20 crore from two bank accounts in London.

CBI counsel Gopal Subramaniam sought four weeks to submit the Argentina court order that had to be translated from Spanish to English.

When Agrawal pointed to some newspaper reports that the appeal was withdrawn on instruction from the law ministry and CBI director in a statement had said he was not aware of it, Subramaniam objected to it.

The court said it could not act on media reports and unless documents were placed on record, it could not say anything.

The CBI counsel said India had no extradition treaty with Argentina and the matter was being considered under “reciprocal” arrangement between the two countries.