New Delhi: Union Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj on Thursday defended the Government's opinion conveyed to the Crown Prosecution in the United Kingdom to de-freeze the two bank accounts in London of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, accused in the Rs. 64-crore Bofors payoffs case

Speaking to a television channel, he said, "It was a temporary freeze, not a permanent freeze." Further, it was wrong to withhold someone's money in the absence of any evidence against him.

Mr. Bhardwaj said the British Government had frozen Mr. Quattrocchi's bank accounts on India's request three years ago. The Crown Prosecution and the British Government had over the past two years sought evidence against him.

The Indian Government had to give legal opinion in international matters and it did so in the Quattrocchi case as well. "We have conveyed to them the recent rulings of the Delhi High Court, rejecting the case against the Hinduja brothers, as well as the status of investigation," said Mr. Bhardwaj.

Still wanted: CBI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) meanwhile maintained that the charge sheet still stood against Mr. Quattrocchi in the designated court here. "Mr. Quattrocchi is wanted by the CBI, and he is still a chargesheeted accused in the Bofors case. He has been charged with cheating and criminal conspiracy and [under] the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act," a CBI spokesman said.

The Interpol Red Corner alert notice was still valid and the agency was making efforts to get him extradited. The trial court fixed the next hearing for March 31.

Well-placed sources in the agency, however, said there was no "substantial evidence" to connect the £2 million parked in Mr. Quattrocchi's bank accounts to the payoffs.

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