The book on Bofors bribery scam is finally complete and yes, it has many references to the “unopened boxes” of Swiss documents that were sent to India in 1997. The book – ‘Bofors Gate – A Journalist’s Pursuit of Truth’ (published by Juggernaut)- is written by Chitra Subramaniam, who has taken a deep dive with a decade-long investigation into the scam.
Subramaniam mentions in her upcoming book that the “unopened” boxes which have about 500-1,000 pages of secret Swiss documents were handed over to then CBI Director Joginder Singh at a public ceremony in 1997, still remain unopened, reports The Indian Express.
She said that over time, politicians have told her that keeping the content of the boxes hidden, benefits them more than revealing them. She said that she finds these claims surprising, as they go against the fundamental values of his country. She believes that soon, people in India will definitely demand for the boxes to be opened.
Speaking to the Indian Express, the then Superintendent of Police, OP Galhotra informed that he joined the team shortly after the documents were handed over to the agency.
He said those formed the “very basis of for filing the charges against Ottavio Quattrocchi and the Hinduja brothers. It was because of the details in the documents, for instance, that the Hindujas joined the investigation in India.” He added that the boxes were definitely opened.’
Another member of the CBI team in the Bofors case, NR Wasan, who was the DIG then and worked on the case for 15 years, told IE that the seals on the documents were opened in front of the assigned judge and then given to the team for investigation.
He said the documents were crucial for the CBI in preparing the charge sheets because they exposed the entire money trail and also all the banking transactions.