'I don't lie, I don't have a reputation of lying', says Dassault CEO

Istre- Le Tube, Nov 13: Dassault CEO Eric Trappier rubbished Congress President Rahul Gandhi's allegation that the company chose Reliance as offset partner under at he best of the Indian government. Dassault CEO Eric Trappier was interviewed by ANI editor Smita Prakash at the Dassault aviation hangar in Istre- Le Tube airbase in France.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, Dassault CEO Eric Trappier, said, "It is completely untrue that the Indian government told us to make Reliance as our offset partner."

Responds to Rahul Gandhi's allegations he said, "I don't lie. The truth I declared before and the statements I made are true. I don't have a reputation of lying. In my position as CEO, you don't lie."

Reliance-Dassault JV deal, Trappier, said, "We chose Ambani by ourselves. We already have 30 partners other than Reliance. The IAF is supporting the deal because they need the fighter jets for their own defence to be at the top."

"We are not putting the money in Reliance. The money is going into the JV (Dassault-Reliance). Engineers and workers from Dassault are taking the lead as far as the industrial part of the deal is concerned," he said.

On the pricing issue, Dassault CEO, said, "Price of 36 was exactly the same when you compare with 18 flyaway. 36 is the double of 18. So as far as I was concerned, it should have been double the price. But because it was government to government, there was negotiation, I had to decrease price by 9 per cent."

"Have long experience with Congress. Our first deal was with India in 1953 was during Nehru, later other PMs. We are not working for any party, we are supplying strategic products to IAF and Indian Government. That's what is most important, " he added.

About the joint venture, he said that when we created the JV last year, decision of creating a JV was part of our agreement in 2012, but we waited for contract to be signed. "We are supposed to put in this company together about 800cr as 50:50. Shares in the JV are 49% for Dassault and 51% for Reliance," Trappier added.