The Hindu : Front Page : Red Corner notice alive, says Interpol

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Thursday, Sep 13, 2007
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Red Corner notice alive, says Interpol

Vinay Kumar

Ottavio Quattrocchi issue

NEW DELHI: The Red Corner notice issued against the Bofors payoffs case accused Ottavio Quattrocchi is still alive, Secretary-General of Interpol Ronald K. Noble said here on Wednesday.

The 69-year-old Italian businessman was detained at the Iguazo airport in Argentina in February but his extradition to India did not fructify even after six months of legal battle in courts there. He walked away a free man as the Government of India did not appeal in the Supreme Court of that country against the lower court’s decision disallowing Mr. Quattrocchi’s extradition. He is now believed to be living in Italy.

Earlier efforts to extradite him from Malaysia also failed.

“We will not withdraw the notice until asked by the requesting country,” Mr. Noble said at a press meet.

Mr. Noble is here to attend an international conference on cyber crime.

Enforcement of notice

“A notice issued by Interpol can be enforced by any of the 186 member-countries; if not by one country, then by another. It limits the freedom of the wanted criminal. His potential to travel and bring harm to other nations is limited and checked by this measure,” Mr. Noble said.

An accused could be “cornered” in one country and it depended on the legal processes of the detaining and requesting countries as to how he or she could be brought before the law, Mr. Noble said.

While the Red Corner notice was devoid of legal sanctity, it was helpful in cornering an accused in view of an alert issued by Interpol. “If one country does not acknowledge the Red Corner notice, another will.”

Notice against Dawood Ibrahim

To a query on Dawood Ibrahim, prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Mr. Noble said India had satisfied Interpol on the location of the underworld don but the enforcement of the Red Corner notice depended on the legal and judicial authorities of that country. “Interpol cannot do much beyond that,” he said.

Dawood is believed to be living in Pakistan.

Mr. Noble said what was frustrating the international police organisation was “inaction” by judicial authority against a fugitive, who was legally wanted for arrest.

Central Bureau of Investigation Director Vijay Shanker was present at the press conference.

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