MIG deal: Opposition fails to prove charges

The Government yesterday said the Opposition has failed to bring forward any charge or document over the MIG deal before the Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE) though they charged the Government that the procurement of MIG 27 air craft is a shady deal.

According to Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, the Opposition was making a fuss over whether the authorities followed correct tender procedure to procure the MIG aircraft from Russia.The Government in 2007 decided to purchase MIG 27 aircraft to effectively face the challenges of the LTTE in the North and the East.

No representative from the Opposition came before the COPE to forward their findings in connection with the MIG deal. The opposition tried to hood wink the people stating that a financial misappropriation had occurred in the MIG deal.CP