New Delhi: Bahamas has sought information from Indian authorities about Italian businessman Ottavio Quattorocchi's bank account linking him to kickbacks allegedly received by him in the Bofors payoff case.

The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) headquarters received a communication to this effect from the Prosecutor General of Bahamas in which the country had asked the agency to furnish details about the bank account, agency sources said in New Delhi today (Aug 29, 2004).

The CBI secured a Letters Rogatory from a city court on February 24 in which it had requested the Bahamas authorities for details of the account of Quattrocchi, one of the main accused in the Rs 64 crore Bofors payoff case.

The Letters Rogatory was sent through Indian Mission in Washington, as there was no direct diplomatic contact with Bahamas.

The CBI request sought details from Bahamas about the account in its AES bank from where funds were transferred to London bank of Quattrocchi, which remained frozen on the request of investigating agency.

The clarifications from Bahamas would be completed soon and sent to them for early details about the account of the Italian businessman.

Claiming that CBI had managed to trace the route of the money, the sources said the money was first deposited in Switzerland from where it was shifted to Gurnsey Island.

The money was shifted to two different accounts in Austria and back to Switzerland.

While the money in Switzerland was further diverted through various accounts in the United States and Austria before reaching back its original place, the CBI suspects that the money from Austria was shifted to the UK through the Bahamas.

The CBI had used the same modus operandi when it wanted account details of another accused and agent of Bofors Company, Win Chada.

Quattrocchi, against whom an Interpol Red Corner Notice is pending, had an amount of three million Euros and one million Dollars in accounts number 5A51516L and 5A51516M in BSI AG, London respectively.

Besides the Bahamas, the Letters Rogatory of the CBI were pending in countries like Austria, Switzerland and Italy as the agency was probing the end-use of the alleged kickbacks received by middlemen.

CBI contends that Quattrocchi "in a deceitful manner had been transferring funds from one account to another to evade detection by the law."

Quattrocchi has maintained in the past that he has not involved in Bofors payoffs and that he was being targeted for political reasons.