Amid controversy over the Rafale deal with France, a group of top former bureaucrats has written a letter to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) demanding submission of audit reports on the fighter jet deal as early as possible. The CAG is expected to finalise its findings in the upcoming winter session of Parliament in December.
The country's top most auditor could not table its report on 36 Rafale deal in the last monsoon session, as they were waiting for the deal to be fully executed along with the schedule of payment mode to the manufacturer.
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In its letter, which was also sent to President Ram Nath Kovind, the former civil servants pointed out that the CAG's audit reports on the 2G scam, coal scam, Adarsh scam and commonwealth games, which influenced public perception of the then government's action, had invited appreciation from various quarters.
“But an impression is gaining ground that the CAG is deliberately delaying its audit reports on Rafale deal and demonetisation till after the May 2019 elections so as not to embarrass the present government. The CAG's failure to present these audit reports in time may be seen as partisan action and may create a crisis of credibility for this important institution,” the retired civil servants said in their letter. They added: “We believe that citizens have a right to insist upon the timely submission of audit reports by the CAG so that they can make an informed choice while voting.”
The former bureaucrats also said that in the past, the CAG has been criticised for nit-picking and focusing on trivial issues on the one hand, and for audit over -reach on the other. “But, there was never any occasion to accuse the CAG of being influenced by the government,” the letter further said. What equally conspicuous is the delay in presenting the audit report on Rafale deal, even though 42 months have elapsed since the deal was announced in April 2015, it said.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, while defending the Rafale jet deal, Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, said that the price of 36 jets was exactly the same with 18 flyaway during the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) deal. “But because it was government to government, there was negotiation. I had to decrease price by nine per cent," he said. Trappier further clarified that it was Dassault Aviation itself that had chosen Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence as its offset partner.
On Monday, the government submitted its reply in the Supreme Court over the Rafale selection process and claimed that the deal was finalised following the Defence Procurement Procedures (DPP) formulated in 2013.
The apex court is slated to hear the matter on Wednesday on a PIL jointly filed by Yashwant Sinha, Prashant Bhushan and Arun Shourie seeking a court-monitored CBI probe into the corruption allegations in the 36 Rafale fighter jets deal.