CIC asks CBI to produce files of Quattrocchi in Bofors case

New Delhi, May 25 (PTI) The Central Information Commission
Wednesday directed India's premier investigating agency, the
CBI, to produce before it all the records related to Bofors
case accused Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi which,
according to the investigating agency, should be withheld from
being made public.
A full bench of the CIC was of the view that all records
related to the two-decade old case should be summoned but it
was felt that since these records may run into tens of
thousands of pages, only those, where disclosure was objected
to by the CBI would be produced for perusal of the Commission.
The bench, comprising Chief Information Commissioner
Satyananda Mishra and Information Commissioners Annapurna
Dixit and Deepak Sandhu, said the Commission after perusal of
the documents would decide which of them can be made public.
The rest of the documents, where Central Bureau of
Investigation has no objection from disclosure, would be
provided to RTI(Right to Information) applicant Ajay Agrawal,
the bench of the transparency panel held.
The CBI had earlier sought adjournment of the proceedings
as the official dealing with the RTI application was not
present but this request was rejected by the panel which said
notice was given well in advance and CIC was working hard to
cut down on pendency.
In his RTI application, Agrawal had sought to get from the
CBI documents related to the case against Quattrocchi,
correspondence exchanged with British authorities on
defreezing of his accounts, opinions of agency sleuths and law
officers on his extradition among others.