04-13-2004, 10:16 PM
<b>Bofors: she has to protect 'Q', he will not protect her otherwise</b>
S Gurumurthy
www.newindpress.com/column/Column.asp?ID=IE620040412083932&P=old&By=S+Gurumurthy
The Bofors scandal is back on front pages. For many it is an old issue. But for those who were in schools in April 1987 when Bofors expose started, it may be altogether new. They need to know some history.
The Bofors pay off charge surfaced through the Swedish radio broadcast in April 1987. The radio had said that to secure the contract for supply of guns to the India the Swedish gun company, Bofors, had paid bribes to Indian politicians and officials. This expose' came close on the heels of two other exposes, the Fairfax investigation and the HDW pay off charge pointing to the involvement of Gandhi family in financial scandals. In just under a month the Bofors scandal had the Rajiv Gandhi government with a historic majority of 406 members in the 540 member Lok Sabha fighting for survival.
Rajiv Gandhi never recovered from the Bofors charge. Neither did the Congress. The issue eventually unseated Rajiv Gandhi in the 1989 elections. When he was elected in 1984 with a majority that bettered Nehru's and Indira Gandhi's, many thought he had been elected to rule India for the next 25 years. But Bofors case changed the Congress-centric politics of India.
<b>Initiated during VP Singh's regime, the Bofors case was never pursued honestly till the NDA came to power, with the Chandrasekhar, Narasimha Rao, Devegowda and Gujral governments actually stifling the case for almost a decade</b>. The Vajpayee government finally, but hesitantly, filed prosecution against Rajiv Gandhi and others. Since then the case is going back and forth in courts.
The Bofors bribery issue tormented Rajiv Gandhi to no end. When evidence mounted against him and his family, Rajiv Gandhi was forced into humiliation to defend himself. He had to tell the parliament in 1989 that neither he was involved in the pay off, nor his family members. Even this humiliating denial did not bring the scandal to a close. Actually Rajiv's denial was soon perceived as a lie. Further investigations by the press first and later by<b> the CBI clearly pointed to the involvement of the family through Sonia's close friend, Ottavio Quattrocchi. No one disputed Quattrocchi's closeness to Sonia. He was with Sonia and Rajiv on every holiday they had had as a family including the famous Lakshadweep holiday in 1986.</b>
<b>Who is this gentleman, Quattrrochhi? First, he is an Italian. Next he landed in India virtually as part of the Sonia's stridhan to the Gandhi family. Third he represented Snamprogetti, an Italian group. During the 1970s and 1980s he had swung many a deal from India for Snam. Many Indian civil servants used to feel uncomfortable at his sight. He was not just a power broker, but a power himself.</b>
<b>Before a Parliament committee a senior civil servant had to confess that government contracts were awarded to Snamprogetti, which Quattrocchi represented, for 'superior extra-technical reasons'! Poor man, an honest Tamilian, lost his turn to become the cabinet secretary. This was when Indira Gandhi was in power. So Quattrochhi has a history of association with the Gandhi-Sonia family long before Rajiv became Prime Minister and Sonia entered politics.</b>
<b>No one can dispute, not even Sonia, that Quattrrochi received $ 7.1 millions from Bofors for swinging the $1.2 billion gun deal for the Swedish gun maker, Bofors. This is how he achieved it. The Indian government was testing the suitability of guns from different countries over years, but would not decide. Suddenly, AE Services, a shell company, told Bofors in October 1985, 'Come, let us have a deal. We will get the gun contract for you by March 31st 1986. If we do it give us 3% commission. Otherwise you need not pay'</b>.
On these terms Bofors and AE Services entered into a contract on October 15, 1985. Who could give this kind of commitment, not just the commitment to get the gun contract, but also assure it would be done within a certain date? Only the man who can decide. Or the man who can get the decision maker to decide. Precisely as AE Services had promised to Bofors, the Indian government gave the gun contract to Bofors on March 22, 1986, seven days ahead of the schedule committed by AE Services. It is now proved that out of the first tranche of commission of $.7.3 millions paid to AE Services $7.1 millions finally went to Quattrrochhi. Most of the sum now remains frozen in the accounts held in Quoattrochhi's name in England, by the order of the British government. In 1993, on the Swedish government passing on the secret bank documents, Quattrrocchi ran away from India and turned a fugitive in Malaysia. Sonia's heart bled for him.
<b>The total commission involved is 3% of $1.2 billions, that is, $36 millions, equal to approximately Rs 160 crores today. Having got this kind of money to Quattrrochhi, Sonia still remains in the middle class range economy, declares for herself a moderate wealth of just Rs 72 lakhs, including an ancestral house in Italy, her stridhan property, valued at Rs 10 lakhs!</b>
After remaining dormant for a while, the Bofors pay off is now back on the national stage again. The man who has brought the issue in to focus now is Sten Lindstorm, the Swedish police investigator who first conducted the investigation into the pay off as the head of the Swedish Audit Bureau. He has said that Sonia needs to be questioned on the pay off.
The diary of Martin Ardbo, CEO of Bofors at the time Bofors won the gun contract by bribe, showed entries which clearly pointed to the involvement of not just Quattrrochhi, but also Rajiv Gandhi. Ardbo had written about 'meeting Gandhi Trust lawyer'. He had also written about the need to protect 'Q', obviously Quattrochhi, to save 'G', obviously Rajiv Gandhi. He was keen to protect 'Gandhi' at all costs.
He had written all this in his diary after the Swedish radio expose and after investigations by the Swedish government had started. Now Sten Lindstorm has penned an article in Asian Age insisting that Quattrrocchi is involved and saying that the relations between Quattrrochhi and Sonia should be investigated and Sonia should be asked to testify. Lindstorm's article which expands on what he had told this websiteâs newspaper in the year 1998 has brought the issue back on the stage.
Now, madam Sonia needs to talk. Particularly as she had defended the very culprit who is proved to have taken the bribe after having delivered the guaranteed performance of getting the gun contract to Bofors by March 31, 1986 on March 21st itself, that is with ten days to spare! Yes he has taken the bribe. The issue is, on behalf of who?
Yet as recently as 1999 Sonia defended Quattrocchi who had run away from India to Malaysia. Narasimha Rao who just closed his eyes to enable his escape. She defended him even after the Swiss court once, Delhi High court twice and the Supreme Court finally held him part of the Bofor's fraud. She stunningly asked the media to show evidence against Quattrochhi! Yes she has to protect 'Q'. He will not protect her otherwise.
Author's email: comment@gurumurthy.net.
S Gurumurthy
www.newindpress.com/column/Column.asp?ID=IE620040412083932&P=old&By=S+Gurumurthy
The Bofors scandal is back on front pages. For many it is an old issue. But for those who were in schools in April 1987 when Bofors expose started, it may be altogether new. They need to know some history.
The Bofors pay off charge surfaced through the Swedish radio broadcast in April 1987. The radio had said that to secure the contract for supply of guns to the India the Swedish gun company, Bofors, had paid bribes to Indian politicians and officials. This expose' came close on the heels of two other exposes, the Fairfax investigation and the HDW pay off charge pointing to the involvement of Gandhi family in financial scandals. In just under a month the Bofors scandal had the Rajiv Gandhi government with a historic majority of 406 members in the 540 member Lok Sabha fighting for survival.
Rajiv Gandhi never recovered from the Bofors charge. Neither did the Congress. The issue eventually unseated Rajiv Gandhi in the 1989 elections. When he was elected in 1984 with a majority that bettered Nehru's and Indira Gandhi's, many thought he had been elected to rule India for the next 25 years. But Bofors case changed the Congress-centric politics of India.
<b>Initiated during VP Singh's regime, the Bofors case was never pursued honestly till the NDA came to power, with the Chandrasekhar, Narasimha Rao, Devegowda and Gujral governments actually stifling the case for almost a decade</b>. The Vajpayee government finally, but hesitantly, filed prosecution against Rajiv Gandhi and others. Since then the case is going back and forth in courts.
The Bofors bribery issue tormented Rajiv Gandhi to no end. When evidence mounted against him and his family, Rajiv Gandhi was forced into humiliation to defend himself. He had to tell the parliament in 1989 that neither he was involved in the pay off, nor his family members. Even this humiliating denial did not bring the scandal to a close. Actually Rajiv's denial was soon perceived as a lie. Further investigations by the press first and later by<b> the CBI clearly pointed to the involvement of the family through Sonia's close friend, Ottavio Quattrocchi. No one disputed Quattrocchi's closeness to Sonia. He was with Sonia and Rajiv on every holiday they had had as a family including the famous Lakshadweep holiday in 1986.</b>
<b>Who is this gentleman, Quattrrochhi? First, he is an Italian. Next he landed in India virtually as part of the Sonia's stridhan to the Gandhi family. Third he represented Snamprogetti, an Italian group. During the 1970s and 1980s he had swung many a deal from India for Snam. Many Indian civil servants used to feel uncomfortable at his sight. He was not just a power broker, but a power himself.</b>
<b>Before a Parliament committee a senior civil servant had to confess that government contracts were awarded to Snamprogetti, which Quattrocchi represented, for 'superior extra-technical reasons'! Poor man, an honest Tamilian, lost his turn to become the cabinet secretary. This was when Indira Gandhi was in power. So Quattrochhi has a history of association with the Gandhi-Sonia family long before Rajiv became Prime Minister and Sonia entered politics.</b>
<b>No one can dispute, not even Sonia, that Quattrrochi received $ 7.1 millions from Bofors for swinging the $1.2 billion gun deal for the Swedish gun maker, Bofors. This is how he achieved it. The Indian government was testing the suitability of guns from different countries over years, but would not decide. Suddenly, AE Services, a shell company, told Bofors in October 1985, 'Come, let us have a deal. We will get the gun contract for you by March 31st 1986. If we do it give us 3% commission. Otherwise you need not pay'</b>.
On these terms Bofors and AE Services entered into a contract on October 15, 1985. Who could give this kind of commitment, not just the commitment to get the gun contract, but also assure it would be done within a certain date? Only the man who can decide. Or the man who can get the decision maker to decide. Precisely as AE Services had promised to Bofors, the Indian government gave the gun contract to Bofors on March 22, 1986, seven days ahead of the schedule committed by AE Services. It is now proved that out of the first tranche of commission of $.7.3 millions paid to AE Services $7.1 millions finally went to Quattrrochhi. Most of the sum now remains frozen in the accounts held in Quoattrochhi's name in England, by the order of the British government. In 1993, on the Swedish government passing on the secret bank documents, Quattrrocchi ran away from India and turned a fugitive in Malaysia. Sonia's heart bled for him.
<b>The total commission involved is 3% of $1.2 billions, that is, $36 millions, equal to approximately Rs 160 crores today. Having got this kind of money to Quattrrochhi, Sonia still remains in the middle class range economy, declares for herself a moderate wealth of just Rs 72 lakhs, including an ancestral house in Italy, her stridhan property, valued at Rs 10 lakhs!</b>
After remaining dormant for a while, the Bofors pay off is now back on the national stage again. The man who has brought the issue in to focus now is Sten Lindstorm, the Swedish police investigator who first conducted the investigation into the pay off as the head of the Swedish Audit Bureau. He has said that Sonia needs to be questioned on the pay off.
The diary of Martin Ardbo, CEO of Bofors at the time Bofors won the gun contract by bribe, showed entries which clearly pointed to the involvement of not just Quattrrochhi, but also Rajiv Gandhi. Ardbo had written about 'meeting Gandhi Trust lawyer'. He had also written about the need to protect 'Q', obviously Quattrochhi, to save 'G', obviously Rajiv Gandhi. He was keen to protect 'Gandhi' at all costs.
He had written all this in his diary after the Swedish radio expose and after investigations by the Swedish government had started. Now Sten Lindstorm has penned an article in Asian Age insisting that Quattrrocchi is involved and saying that the relations between Quattrrochhi and Sonia should be investigated and Sonia should be asked to testify. Lindstorm's article which expands on what he had told this websiteâs newspaper in the year 1998 has brought the issue back on the stage.
Now, madam Sonia needs to talk. Particularly as she had defended the very culprit who is proved to have taken the bribe after having delivered the guaranteed performance of getting the gun contract to Bofors by March 31, 1986 on March 21st itself, that is with ten days to spare! Yes he has taken the bribe. The issue is, on behalf of who?
Yet as recently as 1999 Sonia defended Quattrocchi who had run away from India to Malaysia. Narasimha Rao who just closed his eyes to enable his escape. She defended him even after the Swiss court once, Delhi High court twice and the Supreme Court finally held him part of the Bofor's fraud. She stunningly asked the media to show evidence against Quattrochhi! Yes she has to protect 'Q'. He will not protect her otherwise.
Author's email: comment@gurumurthy.net.