Congress threatens defamation against Bofors investigator

Dec 17, 2007, 14:56 GMT

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) The Congress Monday threatened 'civil and criminal defamatory action' against private Swedish investigator Sven Lindstorm, who was probing the Bofors payoff scandal, for his ' baseless innuendos' against the party and its president Sonia Gandhi.

Reacting to the interviews and remarks Lindstorm has made in the Indian media about the Rs.64 million bribe scandal, the ruling party has sent a legal notice saying that the investigator had 'intentionally and maliciously defamed' the Congress party and Gandhi by publishing 'false, incorrect and defamatory statements about them'.

'We have sent a notice (to Lindstorm). He has been shooting off some remarks about Bofors controversy. He does it periodically and furnishes no material and legal evidence,' party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters here. Lindstorm has retired from service.

In a recent interview in which he spoke about the main accused, Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, the Swedish investigator had said that he wanted to 'interview' Gandhi about the Bofors issue. He was also quoted as saying 'we wanted to know through her what the reason was for him to be given this money'.

The Italian businessman was said to be a family friend of Sonia Gandhi and her assassinated husband, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

In the legal notice sent by senior party leader Motilal Vohra, the Congress pointed out that successive governments, including one led by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), could not find 'an iota of evidence to even suggest any illegality of any kind against late Rajiv Gandhi or any member of his family'.

It also said that Delhi High Court in its judgement in February 2004 had stated that Gandhi had no connection with the case.

'Yet persons like you, without evidence continue to flog a dead horse contrary to detailed judicial findings after detailed adjudication and minute examination of evidence.'

The party has asked the investigator to 'withdraw and retract in writing all offending remarks, comments and observations in respect of Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi or any member of the Gandhi family or the Congress party'.

The notice also asked him to apologise in writing for his remarks and desist from making such remarks in future.

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service