A Feast of Vultures: The Hidden Business of Democracy in India

by Josy Joseph

The Hindu, where Chitra Subramaniam and N. Ram led an unparalleled investigation into the scandal, reported that Quattrocchi was paid about Rs 8.4 crore through AE Services, an agent for Bofors, and probably more. That was a significant amount in those days, but it is not clear if he shared it with the Gandhi family or the Congress party. In the summer of 2003, Interpol found two accounts in the bank BSI AG containing around Rs 16 crore and Rs 4.8 crore, and the CBI got the accounts frozen. Quattrocchi’s repeated attempts to defreeze them were turned down by British courts. That the CBI acted so decisively was probably a result of Indian realpolitik: a BJP-led coalition was in power at the time. In the summer of 2004, another political change swept India and the Congress was back at the centre after years in the wilderness. Quattrocchi’s fortunes turned too. In December 2005, the Central government deputed a senior law officer to personally visit London and defreeze the accounts. Within weeks, both accounts were emptied out.