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CBI questions Hinduja brothers

The documents were received by the investigating agency last week and shown to the designated CBI court hearing the case, a CBI spokesman said, adding that the documents had been retained for further scrutiny.

The London-based Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja were questioned along with their Geneva-based younger brother Prakashchand Hinduja for about three hours at the CBI headquarters in New Delhi.

The Supreme Court on May 12 had allowed British nationals Srichand and Gopichand to go abroad, while asking Prakashchand to stand guarantee for their return to India.

In addition, the apex court also directed Srichand and Gopichand to furnish personal bonds of Rs 15 crore each.

The two have already executed the personal bonds before the special judge trying the Bofors payoff case.

This fresh set of documents is the fourth that the CBI received from the Swiss authorities since 1990.

The first set of documents pertaining to A E Services was received by the agency in December 1990, after the CBI sent a letters rogatory on February 7, 1990.

The second set regarding Ottavio Quattrocchi and Win Chadda were received by the CBI in 1997 and the third, which detailed accounts of the three Hinduja brothers, was transferred from the Swiss authorities in December 1999.

The brothers arrived in the country on January 18 after the special court on January 10 directed the CBI and the immigration authorities not to detain or arrest them on their arrival in India.

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