Congress asks CAG to recuse himself from audit on Rafale

New Delhi, Feb. 10: Alleging conflict of interest, the Congress on Sunday requested Comptroller and Auditor General ( CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi to recuse himself from auditing the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter aircraft as he, as the then finance secretary, was part of the negotiations.

The Opposition party also said that it would be improper on the part of Mr Mehrishi to present the report in Parliament and said that it had written to him to recuse himself. The CAG report on the controversial deal is likely to be tabled in Parliament on Monday.

In a communique to the former bureaucrat, the Congress has alleged that the government compromised “national interest” and “national security” in the purchase of the 36 aircraft and said the CAG has a constitutional and statutory duty to undertake a forensic audit of all defence contracts, including the Rafale deal.

“It is an act of gross impropriety for you to deal with the audit of the 36 Rafale aircraft deal on account of patent conflict of interest... You are constitutionally, legally and morally disentitled to either conduct an audit or to present a report before... Parliament. We urge upon you to recuse yourself and publicly accept the gross impropriety committed by you in initiating the audit...,” it said.

In its communique, the Congress has alleged that the irregularities, bungling and corruption was happening at the highest level with “your direct or indirect complicity and consent”.

“This reflects your direct collaboration in the entire matter. That being so, there is no reason or occasion for you to audit the 36 Rafale aircraft deal as you can neither be a judge in your own cause nor can sit in audit over your own actions to which you were a party. We are deeply shocked by the fact that despite knowing these facts, you chose to neither recuse yourself as CAG from auditing the 36 Rafale aircraft deal...,” it sad.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal reiterated that Mr Mehrishi is likely to present the report on the Rafale deal in Parliament on Monday.

Mr Sibal said that Mr Mehrishi was the finance secretary from October 24, 2014 to August 30, 2015.