Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, believed to be one of the major players in the Bofors scam, has died. Reports say he died of a heart attack in Milan on Friday.
Two years after Indian courts finally withdrew all charges against him in the Bofors case, Ottavio Quattrocchi is dead. Quattrocchi, who represented the Italian petrochemicals firm Snamprogetti, was accused of being the middleman in the Bofors scandal. His alleged proximity to the Gandhi family had fuelled speculation about his rise as a power broker between New Delhi and international businesses.
In March 1986, a $285 million deal was signed between the Indian government and Swedish arms company Bofors for the supply of 410 155mm Howitzer field guns. A year later, news broke that Bofors had allegedly paid kickbacks worth Rs. 64 crore to top Indian politicians and officials.
The Bofors chargesheet naming Quattrocchi as the main accused was filed in 1999. Other prominent accused in the case, including former Bofors chief Martin Ardbo, Bofors agent Win Chadha and former defence secretary S K Bhatnagar, are already dead.the Hinduja brothers, who were chargesheeted in the case in 2000, have been discharged.