It is said he became close to the Gandhi family because Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party president, hails from Italy. Quattrocchi shifted to India soon after Rajiv married Sonia.
It is alleged Quattrocchi was so influential with the office of the prime minister -- Rajiv Gandhi -- that bureaucrats used to stand up when Quattrocchi visited them.
The CBI's Bofors chargesheet against Quattrocchi claimed he was one of the beneficiaries of the bank accounts into which kickbacks in the Bofors deal were deposited.
