New Delhi: Italian businessman and a key accused in the Rs 64 crore Bofors payoff scam, Ottavio Quattrocchi, has challenged London High Court's order refusing to lift the restraint order on his two bank accounts, frozen at the instance of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The petition was filed before the Supreme Court (SC) of the United Kingdom (UK) against the order of a division bench of the London High Court upholding the decision of the British Government to freeze on India's request two accounts of Quattrocchi having three million Euros and $ one million, CBI sources said in New Delhi today (Dec 25, 2003).

The court was likely to hear the petition in the New Year, but the agency was already strengthening its case further and finding out the source of the money and the route adopted by it before arriving at the London Bank.

Quattrocchi, in his petition, had sought quashing of the order of British Government and release of his money from the two accounts belonging to him and his wife, Maria.

The Queen's Bench Division of London High Court in its order of November 24 had dismissed the application filed by Quattrocchi for discharge of the restraint order issued by it on the movement of funds from his two bank accounts in a London Bank.

Quattrocchi, against whom an Interpol Red Corner Notice is pending, has an amount of three million Euros and $ one million in account numbers 5A51516L and 5A51516M in BSI AG, London respectively.