Centre has no role in Quattrocchi issue: Bhardwaj

The Centre has no role in CBI asking the Interpol to drop the name of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi from its Red Corner notice list, Law Minister H R Bhardwaj said today.      

"This is a politically motivated allegation. The government has no role in the judicial process," Law Minister H R Bharadwaj said here.      Bharadwaj said the red corner notice was issued by the Interpol on the basis a non-bailable warrant against Quattrocchi.      

"Later, it transpired during the extradition proceedings against the accused in Argentina that there was no such non-bailable warrant in existence...Court there held that there was no such warrant and he has been arrested in violation of the law and ordered that he should be set free," Bharadwaj said.      

The Law minister said Quattrocchi appealed in the Interpol commission, which deals in Red corner notices, which in turn sought explanation from CBI.      

"The Red corner notices are issued for five years. When the notice was about to expire, the CBI sent the matter to Attorney General (AG) for legal opinion. AG having gone into the matter of wrongful detention of the gentleman in Argentina...Opined that it was not sustainable order because there was no such warrant," he said.      

Bharadwaj added that the case was still pending in trial court as well as High Court and Supreme Court and law will take its own course.