New Delhi, Oct. 22 :     Thirteen years after the Bofors controversy broke, the CBI today filed chargesheet in the case, accusing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, former defence secretary S.K. Bhatnagar, NRI businessman Wisheshwar Nath Chaddha alias Win Chaddha, the gun-manufacturing company AB Bofors (now merged into Celsius Corporation) and its former boss Martin Ardbo. Rajiv Gandhi, during whose tenure as Prime Minister the gun deal was entered into with the Swedish company AB Bofors on March 24, 1986, was named an accused in the 4,500-page chargesheet with annexures. The prosecution placed Rajiv Gandhi among the persons listed in column 2 in the chargesheet. This implies that no criminal offence could be proceeded with against him because he is dead. Rajiv Gandhi is one among the accused allegedly involved in the ?criminal conspiracy? (Section 120B of the IPC), cheating (Section 420) and corruption charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. But the chargesheet does not mention whether he received kickbacks. Though the chargesheet may not have the impact it might have had when the poll campaign was on, the BJP will try to cash in on the fact that Rajiv Gandhi is among the accused. The target will be Sonia Gandhi, who has become leader of the Opposition. Sonia tonight described the chargesheet as ?politically motivated? and said her party would raise the issue in Parliament. Earlier, a Congress spokesman said ?the chargesheet is a 13-year-old legal, political joke and will continue to be so in the years to come?. The BJP said it was happy the chargesheet had been filed. Spokesman M. Venkaiah Naidu said: ?We are happy that during our party?s rule, the case is being taken to its logical conclusion.? Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee hinted this morning that the chargesheet will be filed in a day or two. CBI director R.K. Raghavan had met home minister L.K. Advani last night and briefed him on the chargesheet. Additional sessions judge Ajit Bharihoke, before whom the chargesheet was filed, fixed November 3 for further proceedings. The chargesheet included 213 supporting annexures. The CBI?s bottomline was that Rs 64 crore was paid as kickbacks in the deal even after the government had made it clear that there should be no middleman in the contract for supply of 155-mm howitzer field guns. The prosecuting and investigating agency cited 83 witnesses to support its case. The CBI charged that Quattrocchi?s AE Services received US $ 7.3 million and Win Chaddha?s Svenska Inc. received US $ 27 million from AB Bofors for securing the contract from the Rajiv Gandhi-led government in 1986. The CBI told the court that further investigations were on to ascertain the roles of Win Chaddha?s son Harsh, Quattrocchi?s wife Maria and the Hinduja brothers. The court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Quattrocchi. He is now in Kuala Lumpur and a red-corner notice was issued against him on the basis of the warrant. The agency said new evidence has been unearthed to prove that Quattrocchi had, ?in a clandestine manner,? deposited money in Swiss banks as ?illegal gratification? for the benefit of ?certain public servants of India and their nominees?. The CBI said Quattrocchi was ?instrumental in execution of the contract with AB Bofors? and was paid US $ 7,343,941.98. This amount was deposited in the joint account of Mr and Mrs Quattrocchi in their ?US $ account opened ostensibly for this purpose?. The CBI case appears to be strongest against Quattrocchi and Chaddha. The agency has been able to trace the bank accounts where the deposits were made. The chargesheet elaborates on Quattrocchi?s proximity with the Gandhi family. It records how Quattrocchi, the holder of an Italian passport, was in India from 1967 and ?abruptly left India in July 1993 after revelation of his name as one of the appellants before the Swiss courts?. The ?new? investigation evidence says the ?families of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Quattrocchi were on very intimate terms. ?The Quattrocchis had access to the Prime Minister?s house and the closeness of the families is also revealed by some of the family photographs collected during investigation?. It says ?the petitioner was able to project himself as a person of great influence and evidence collected indicates that he frequently used to contact a number of senior politicians and bureaucrats?. ?There was undue haste shown in awarding the contract to Bofors,? the investigation says. The CBI holds that ?mini signatures (which could be initials) of 11 officials and ministers were obtained on the file in less than 48 hours?.